title: Measurement of reticulocyte and red blood cell indices in patients with iron deficiency anemia and beta-thalassemia minor.
abstract: New parameters correlated with the hemoglobin content in reticulocytes (RET-Y) and in red blood cells (RBC-Y) have been suggested as helpful in diagnosing iron deficiency anemia. We have studied RET-Y and RBC-Y indices in two groups of patients with microcytosis to verify if these parameters could be used to differentiate iron deficiency anemia from beta-thalassemia minor. Blood samples from 33 iron-deficient patients, 25 beta-thalassemic minor patients and 50 normal individuals were analyzed on a Sysmex XE-2100 instrument. A significant difference was observed in reticulocyte counting and immature reticulocyte fraction between iron deficiency anemia and beta-thalassemia minor groups, but not in RBC-X and RET-Y parameters. Reticulocyte counting was higher in beta-thalassemia minor and the immature reticulocyte fraction was higher in severe iron deficiency anemia. The ratio RET-Y/mean cell volume was tested and was significantly different when beta-thalassemia minor was compared with mild and severe iron deficiency anemia, and showed better performance than the Mentzer ratio and the Green and King function. A great overlap of RET-Y and RBC-Y individual values was observed in both groups of microcytic anemias; we conclude that these new indices may be used with caution as indicative of iron deficiency, mainly in populations where beta-thalassemia minor is frequent.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, State University of Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: José F A
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Noronha
authors.forename: Helena Z W
authors.initials: HZ
authors.lastname: Grotto
mesh_terms: D018798:Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology*; D002452:Cell Count; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004909:Erythrocyte Indices; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000473:pathology*; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D012156:Reticulocytes / Q000473:pathology*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D017086:beta-Thalassemia / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins