Using Reticulocyte Hemoglobin Equivalent (RET- He) in Diagnosis of Iron Deficiency Anemia

Abstract

Background: Anemia is a significant worldwide health problem. Approximately one third of the world's population suffers from anemia, half of which is due to iron deficiency (ID). Evaluation of parameters relating to serum ferritin and iron is critically important in the diagnosis of iron deficiency anemia (IDA). The recent development of automated systems for hematology analysis has made it possible to measure reticulocyte hemoglobin equivalent (RET-He), which is thought to reflect iron content in reticulocytes, in the same sample used for complete blood count tests. Aim of the work: We aimed to assess the role of RET- He in diagnosis of iron deficiency anemia. Subjects and Methods: Blood samples were obtained from 102 subjects. Patients were classified into three groups: IDA, ID, and anemia of chronic disorder (ACD). In addition 20 age and sex matched healthy volunteers were enrolled as control. RET- He was assessed by Sysmex XN1000 hematology analyzer. Results: Patients in the IDA group had significantly lower RET-He levels than those in the control group. RET-He was correlated with serum ferritin in the IDA and ID groups. The area under the curve for RET-He was 0.883. The cut-off value of RET- He for detecting IDA was ≤ 26.5 pg with 80% sensitivity and 90% specificity. Conclusion: RET-He facilitates the diagnosis of IDA with high accuracy and may be a clinically useful marker for determining IDA.