title: Quantitative determinations of microcytic-hypochromic red blood cell population and glycerol permeability in iron-deficiency anemia and beta thalassemia minor.
abstract: The Hl/H2 Technicon automated cell analyzer measures, in addition to the usual red blood cell (RBC) parameters, subpopulations of microcytic (M) and hypochromic (H) red blood cells. The M/H ratio may be useful in the differential diagnosis of iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) and beta thalassemia minor (Thal). Thirty-three iron-deficient patients and 26 thalassemia patients were studied. The M/H ratio was found to be higher in thalassemia patients than in IDA patients. Using a cut-off point of 1.9 M/H ratio, the calculated discriminant efficiency was 88%. When glycerol lysis values were determined at 70 s as a cut-off point, the discriminant efficiency was slightly higher, at 91%. Thus, the combination of the M/H ratio and the glycerol lysis time (GLT) improves the discriminant efficiency and provides a good diagnostic tool to differentiate between the two microcytic-hypochromic anemias. The study suggests that the M/H ratio together with the GLT could serve as a useful screening tool, prior to the application of other more sophisticated methods.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Hematology Laboratory, Soroka Medical Center, POB 151, Beer-Sheva, 84101, Israel.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yermiahu
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ben-Shalom
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Porath
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Vardi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Boantza
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mazor
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Meyerstein
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000747:Anemia, Hypochromic / Q000097:blood; D018798:Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / Q000097:blood*; D000748:Anemia, Macrocytic / Q000097:blood; D002463:Cell Membrane Permeability / Q000187:drug effects; D004909:Erythrocyte Indices; D005260:Female; D005990:Glycerol / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009996:Osmotic Fragility; D012372:ROC Curve; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D017086:beta-Thalassemia / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D005990:Glycerol