Establishing Absolute Neutrophil Count and White Blood Cell Count Reference Intervals for the Duffy Null Population
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Most reference intervals (RI) for absolute neutrophil count (ANC) and white blood cell count (WBC) in the United States (US) are not representative of people with the Duffy null phenotype (10% of the US population), which leads to misdiagnoses and inequity in care. We aimed to verify the adult Duffy null ANC RI and develop WBC and ANC RIs for pediatrics. 1,412 healthy Duffy null participants from 23 sites were included. All sites agreed on eligibility criteria. Otherwise, this was a pragmatic design with site-specific variation in collection approach. ANC and WBC were stratified into 5 age categories: 6 months-2 years, 3-6 years, 7-12 years, 13-17 years, and 18+ years. RI were calculated by Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. Duffy null-specific ANC RI were 0.53-4.50×109/L (6 months-2 years, n=184), 0.78-4.67×109/L (3-6 years, n=160), 0.87-5.34×109/L (7-12 years, n=190), 0.90-4.89×109/L (13-17 years, n=216), and 1.03-7.30×109/L (18+ years, n=662). 25% of adults had ANC <2.00×109/L and 24-53% of children had ANC <1.50×109/L. Sensitivity analyses did not show any significant differences in ANC RI when accounting for blood draw type, setting, collection site, hematology analyzer, or hemoglobin and platelet counts. This study provides the first report of Duffy null-specific pediatric ANC and WBC RI, as well as a large-scale verification of adult Duffy null-specific ANC and WBC RI. Adoption of Duffy null-specific RIs is necessary for the accurate interpretation of laboratory values that will support appropriate and equitable medical decision-making.
Source: Blood Advances
Authors: Lauren E Merz, Aliza Fink, Hyojeong Han, Cyril Jacquot, Abraham Haimed, Stella T. Chou, Alexis A. Thompson, Vivian Y Chang, Zhen Wei Mei, J. Mark Sloan, Eric J. Burks, Gary Rose, Corinna L. Schultz, Charlotte M. Story, Elizabeth Patricia Crowe, Ivo MB Francischetti, Emmanuel Fadeyi, Amy Soni, Gilles Attipoe, Christina M Barriteau, Michael Blechner, Cecelia Calhoun, Sally Campbell-Lee, Adam Cuker, Warren B Fingrut, Victoria E Forbes, Vijayakrishna K Gadi, Richard C. Godby, Lucy A Godley, George Goshua, Richard L Haspel, Chibuzo Ilonze, Peng Ji, Jennifer Jones, Justin E Juskewitch, Matthew S Karafin, Nicole Kucine, Priyadarshini Kumar, Margarita Kushnir, David Levitz, Michael R Lewis, Geling Li, Johnson M Liu, Patrick T. McGann, Christian P Nixon, Sabrina E. Racine-Brzostek, Karishma Vijay Rupani, Linda Song, Alexa J. Siddon, Christine Sillings, Don A. Stevens, James Szymanski, Clifford Takemoto, Taylor A. Van Denakker, Kelly Walkovich, Rahma Warsame, Angela C. Weyand, Samuel R Wilson, Nibal Zaghloul, Yadashe Belay, Patricia Frustace, Jamie Tyson, Nathalie Van Havre, Maureen Okam Achebe
Institutions: University of Michigan, American Society of Hematology, Children's National, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania, University of California, Los Angeles, Boston University, Johns Hopkins University, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Wake Forest University, Levine Cancer Institute, Saint Peter's University Hospital, Lurie Children's Hospital, Dartmouth Health, Yale University, University of Illinois Chicago, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, UConn Health, Mayo Clinic, Northwestern University, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, University of Alabama, University of Alabama at Birmingham, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Weill Cornell Medicine, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center, Montefiore Medical Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Brown University, Norton Healthcare, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard University
Language: English
Subfield: Medical Laboratory Technology
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,800
OpenAlex ID: W7225347493