Health in Relation to Reference Values

There is an obvious requirement for health-associated reference values for quantities measured in the clinical chemistry 

The World Health Organization has defined health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. This is an attempt to define absolute health, but as such, absolute health is never attained. 

Thus in the context of reference values, we need a more modest concept of health. Past experience has taught us that health is a relative concept It is possible to be ill in one respect and well in another what is considered healthy in a developing country may be judged to be rather unhealthy in Western Europe and North America, and so on. 

Furthermore, the diagnosis of health cannot be based solely on excluding pathology. This fact, which has been named the privative concept of health, may cause difficulties. If no signs of disease can be demonstrated, uncertainty remains, because such signs might be detected on closer examination. The feeling of health is not a reliable criterion because of its subjectivity. In addition, an individual may try to conceal an iUness for various reasons (e.g., to qualify for life insurance). 

When producing reference values, we should ask ourselves, why do we need these values How are we going to use them To what extent does the intended purpose of the project determine how we should identify health In short, we need a goal-oriented concept of health. 

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