ABSTRACT
Iron deficiency anemia is known to impair cognitive and psychomotor development. Hemoglobin and zinc protoporphyrin [ZPP] tests are commonly used to screen for iron deficiency. However, little research has been done to systematically evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of these 2 tests. The aim of this study is evaluating the effectiveness of ZPP test in Identifying iron deficiency anemia in under five-year old children. These studies were approved by Nutrition Research Institute, Ministry of Health. The subjects, 195 children [62% males and 38% females], were seen in pediatric clinic during the period from April 2006 to April 2007. The children were all between 1 and 5 years of age. Iron status of the subjects was evaluated as a routine part of patient care at the clinic. Whole blood hemoglobin concentration, hematocrit ratio, and the ZPP/H [Heme] ratio were measured. The ZPP/H ratio was then evaluated as a single indicator of iron status. Ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid-anticoagulant blood had been obtained used to perform the ZPP/H test. The mean Hemoglobin concentration for the study sample size [195] was [9.9 mg/dl] and Hb test was used as the reference test to compare the effectiveness of ZPP in detecting Iron deficiency anemia, with a sensitivity of [80.6%] and a specificity of [93.1%], positive predictive value [93.5%], negative predictive value [79.4%], the ZPP appears to be an excellent test in detecting anemia. ZPP/H ratio measurement alone can detect iron anemic deficiency better than other individual tests. Because the ZPP/H ratio is a functional indicator of long-term iron status, it is an attractive screen test for deficiency. The ZPP/H ratio is a cost-effective test that is performed using as little as one drop of capillary blood