Table 1.

Testing in children

Assay	Calibration range	Sensitivity	Between-day precision %CV	Clinical applications*
AFP	0.2–300 ng/mL	0.24 ng/mL	4.5–7.5	Diagnose neural tube defects and development abnormalities
HCS	2–50 μmol/L	0.5 μmol/L	2.9–8.6	Diagnose: pediatric atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, schizophrenia
Insulin	2–300 μIU/mL	2 μIU/mL	3.6–7.6	Management of insulin-dependent diabetes
IGF-1	25–1600 ng/mL	20 ng/mL	2.9–4.9	Diagnose growth disorder (GH deficiency or excess); assess nutritional status
IGFBP-3	0.5–16 μg/mL	0.1 μg/mL	3.4–7.7	Differential diagnosis of growth disorders
C-peptide	0.5–7 ng/mL	0.3 ng/mL	2.8–9.1	A marker for insulin production
IgE	1–2000 IU/mL	1 IU/mL	5.1–9.6	Indicates allergic reaction
i-PTH	1–2500 pg/mL	1 pg/mL	6.1–8.5	Help identify hyperparathyroidism or to find the cause of abnormal calcium levels

^*Tietz, Textbook of Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics, 4th edition 2006, eds. Burtis, Ashwood, Bruns. Publishers: Elsevier Saunders.