title: Diagnosing iron deficiency in cyanotic heart disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the incidence of iron deficiency in children with CCHD by noninvasive, inexpensive and easy laboratory methods.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty four children with cyanotic congenital heart disease (CCHD), aged 6 to 48 months were included in this study. The patients were categorized as iron deficient (n:28) and iron sufficient group (n:16). Children with CCHD who had iron deficiency were treated with iron for 3 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Iron sufficient patients were followed during 3 months without giving iron preparation. Mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), red cell distribution width (RDW), serum iron (SI), total iron binding capacity (TIBC) and serum ferritin levels were measured in all patients at the beginning and at the end of the study.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In children with CCHD, hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (Hct) and red blood cell (RBC) counts were not considered significant parameters in the diagnosis of iron deficiency. Determination of MCV, MCH, RDW values is relatively easy and inexpensive method requiring small amount of blood for the diagnosis of iron deficiency during the follow-up of patients with CCHD.
authors.affiliation: Dr. Sami Ulus Children Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Cemile Banu
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Onur
authors.forename: Tansu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sipahi
authors.forename: Betül
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tavil
authors.forename: Selmin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Karademir
authors.forename: Aysel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yoney
mesh_terms: D018798:Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004906:Erythrocyte Count; D004909:Erythrocyte Indices; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D006400:Hematocrit; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007501:Iron / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins; D005293:Ferritins; D007501:Iron