OBJECTIVE
To determine the normal reference value of pyrrole adducts in urine in young people in a university in Shandong, China, and to provide a reliable basis for the clinical diagnosis of n-hexane poisoning.
METHODS
A total of 240 college students were randomly selected. After excluding 32 ineligible students, 208 subjects were included in this study, consisting of 104 males and 104 females, with a mean age of 21?3 years (range: 18 to 24 years). Morning urine was collected from each subject. The content of pyrrole adducts was determined by chromatometry.
RESULTS
The content of pyrrole adducts in both male and female obeyed a positively skewed distribution. The median level of pyrrole adducts in male subjects was 0.88 nmol/ml, and the reference value was 0.14-3.92 nmol/ml. The median level of pyrrole adducts in female subjects was 0.93 nmol/ ml, and the reference value was 0.09-3.27 nmol/ml. Student's t test identified no statistical difference in pyrrole adduct level between male and female subjects (t=0.15, P>0.05).
CONCLUSION
The median level of pyrrole adducts in normal young people is 0.91 nmol/ml, and the reference value is 0.11-3.95 nmol/ml.