Full blood count values in adolescents and its comparison by gender and ethnicity in Seremban district, Malaysia

BACKGROUND

Adolescence is when an individual undergoes development and growth. Many studies suggest variations in the number and size of blood cells during this period in various individuals. The full blood count (FBC) is often the starting point of medical investigations, which help diagnose a wide range of illnesses, infections, and diseases. This study aimed to report the mean FBC values and compare them by gender and ethnicity, using blood results from the thalassemia screening programme in Seremban District, Malaysia.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This cross-sectional study used secondary data from the thalassemia screening programme on Form 4 students aged 15-16 years from January 2018 to October 2018 by the Seremban District Health Office, Malaysia. These students participated in the thalassemia screening programme in which their blood samples were taken for FBC analysis. The data were extracted for this study.

RESULTS

There were statistically significant gender-based differences for total white blood cell (WBC) count, neutrophils, lymphocytes, mixed WBC, and platelets. It was also observed that ethnic-specific differences were statistically significant for RBC count, platelets, platelet distribution width and mean platelet volume.

CONCLUSION

This study was able to report the mean FBC values among Malaysian adolescents with respect to their gender and ethnicity, of which there is a lack of published data.