OBJECTIVETo 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.

METHODSA 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.

RESULTSThe 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).

CONCLUSIONThe 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.