title: Utility of red cell distribution width in screening for iron deficiency.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the sensitivity of an adult-derived red cell distribution width (RDW) reference limit in the detection of iron deficiency in young children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Haematological analysis performed on a cohort of 13-month-old healthy term infants of North European ancestry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  21/98 infants were iron-deficient (>2.5% hypochromic red cells). Of the remaining 77, 35 with RDW >13.9% also had evidence of incipient iron deficiency on the basis of significantly lower haemoglobin (11.5 vs 11.8 g/dl, p=0.046), mean cell volume (75.6 vs 77.8 fl, p=0.002) and mean cell haemoglobin (25.4 vs 26.2 pg, p=0.002) values and higher zinc protoporphyrin (55 vs 44 μmol/molhaem, p<0.001) values than those of the 42 with RDW ≤13.9%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  An adult-derived RDW reference limit has utility in screening for iron deficiency at the age of 13 months. The incidence of non-anaemic iron deficiency in this group was 52.8%.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Haematology, Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield, UK.
authors.forename: Roderick F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Hinchliffe
authors.forename: Graham J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Bellamy
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Finn
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bell
authors.forename: Ajay J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Vora
authors.forename: Lynne
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lennard
mesh_terms: D018798:Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D004909:Erythrocyte Indices; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
keywords: Haematology; Neurodevelopment