Microcytic to hypochromic ratio as a discriminant index of thalassaemia trait in subjects with hypochromic anaemia
The Malaysian Journal of Pathology
;
: 195-201, 2020.
Article
in English
| WPRIM
| ID: wpr-825070
ABSTRACT
@#Introduction:
Differentiating between thalassaemia and iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) in hypochromic anaemia is a challenge to pathologists as it influences the choice of subsequent specialized confirmatory tests. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the performance of microcytic to hypochromic ratio (MicroR/ Hypo-He, M/H ratio) as a discriminant index in hypochromic anaemia. Materials andMethods:
A retrospective study was carried out on 318 subjects with hypochromic anaemia, which comprised 162 IDA and 156 thalassaemia trait subjects with α-thalassemia, β-thalassemia and HbE trait. Optimal cut-off value, sensitivity and specificity of M/H ratio for thalassaemia trait discrimination was determined using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis.Results:
Subjects with thalassaemia trait showed higher MicroR compared to IDA ( p< 0.001) while subjects with IDA demonstrated higher Hypo-He than thalassaemia trait (p < 0.001). M/H ratio was significantly higher in thalassaemia trait compared to IDA, with medians of 3.77 (interquartile range 2.57 – 6.52) and 1.73 (interquartile range 1.27 – 2.38), respectively (p < 0.001). M/H ratio > 2.25 was the optimal cut-off value for discriminating thalassaemia trait from IDA in hypochromic anaemia, with the area under ROC curve (AUC) of 0.83, sensitivity of 80.8% and specificity of 71.6%.Conclusions:
M/H ratio is a useful discriminant index to distinguish thalassaemia trait from IDA in hypochromic anaemia prior to diagnostic analysis for thalassaemia confirmation. High M/H ratio is suggestive of thalassaemia trait than of IDA. However, more studies are required to establish the role of M/H ratio as a screening tool for thalassaemia discrimination in hypochromic anaemia.
Full text:
Available
Index:
WPRIM (Western Pacific)
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Language:
English
Journal:
The Malaysian Journal of Pathology
Year:
2020
Type:
Article
Similar
MEDLINE
...
LILACS
LIS