Ascertaining Genetic Carriers of Hereditary Spherocytosis by Statistical Analysis of Multiple Laboratory Tests*

Spleen 0 indicates spleen not examined.Spherocyte scores are rated 0-3 according to the number of examiners who found spherocytes.MCV = mean corpuscular volume; MCH = mean corpuscular hemoglobin; MCHC = mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration.OF 1% and OF 50%7o are interpolated values of osmotic fragility correspond- ing to the saline tonicities listed.MF = mechanical fragility; AH = autohemolysis; AH + G = autohemolysis with glucose added; AH + Ad = autohemolysis with adenosine added; Dc and D4 are discriminants (see text); -= normal.families, using Fisher's discriminant function.sis of multiple laboratory tests would give better We have tested the value of combinations of he-genetic data than was previously possible by de- matologic measurements for diagnosis.We have creasing the overlap between normal and affected also considered the possibility that statistical analyand consequently increasing the number of mildly 555