title: Clinical significance of reticulocyte hemoglobin content in the diagnosis of iron deficiency anemia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical significance of reticulocyte hemoglobin content (CHr) in the diagnosis of iron deficiency anemia (IDA) and to compare it with other conventional iron parameters.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 32 female patients with IDA (serum hemoglobin <120 g/L and serum ferritin <20 ng/ mL) and 18 female patients with iron deficiency (serum hemoglobin > 120 g/L and serum ferritin <20 ng/mL) were enrolled.
  
  
  RESULTS
  CHr was 24.95±3.92 pg in female patients with IDA and 29.93±2.96 pg in female patients with iron deficiency. CHr showed a significant positive correlation with hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, serum iron, and transferrin saturation and a significant negative correlation with transferrin and total iron-binding capacity. The cut-off value of CHr for detecting IDA was 29 pg.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data demonstrate that CHr is a useful parameter that can be confidently used in the diagnosis of IDA, and a CHr cut-off value of 29 pg predicts IDA.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  None declared.
authors.affiliation: Eskişehir Osmangazi University Medical School, Department of Hematology, Eskişehir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karagülle
authors.affiliation: Eskişehir Osmangazi University Medical School, Department of Hematology, Eskişehir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Eren
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gündüz
authors.affiliation: Eskişehir Osmangazi University Medical School, Department of Biostatistics, Eskişehir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Fezan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sahin Mutlu
authors.affiliation: Eskişehir Osmangazi University Medical School, Department of Hematology, Eskişehir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Meltem
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Olga Akay
keywords: Iron deficiency anemia; Reticulocyte hemoglobin content; diagnosis