DIAGNOSTIC ACCURACY OF MENTZER INDEX AS A SCREENING TOOL FOR THE DIAGNOSIS OF IRON DEFICIENCY ANEMIA BY TAKING IRON PROFILE AS GOLD STANDARD IN PATIENTS PRESENTING WITH HYPOCHROMIC MICROCYTIC ANEMIA AT TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL, KARACHI

S IQBAL; W AMIN; S ARSHAD; NU AIN

doi:10.54112/bcsrj.v2024i1.669

Authors

S IQBAL Department of Pediatrics, National Institute of Child Health Karachi, Pakistan
W AMIN Department of Pediatrics, Sindh Government Children Hospital Karachi, Pakistan
S ARSHAD Department of Pediatrics, Rural Health Centre District Kemari Karachi, Pakistan
NU AIN Department of Pediatrics, National Institute of Child Health Karachi, Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54112/bcsrj.v2024i1.669

Keywords:

Iron Deficiency Anemia, Beta Thalassemia, Mentzer Index, Iron Profile

Abstract

Anemia is the most prevalent haematological condition in newborns and children. A deficiency of iron necessary for synthesizing haemoglobin causes it. This study used the iron profile as the gold standard for patients with hypochromic microcytic anemia at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi to assess the Mentzer index's diagnostic accuracy for iron-deficient anemia. From January 2021 to December 2022, a cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in the Department of Pediatrics, NICH, Karachi. With the patient's explicit consent, data was prospectively collected. Those who satisfied the diagnostic requirements totaled 163 patients. While frequency and percentages were used to represent qualitative factors, simple descriptive statistics with mean and standard deviation were used to convey quantitative data. The following metrics were calculated: diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and a significance level set at p-value ≤0.05. A total of 163 patients with hypochromic microcytic anemia were included in the study; their mean age was 8.23±3.57 years. 78 (47.9 percent) and 85 (52.1 percent) were female. For the diagnosis of iron deficiency anemia, the Mentzer index's sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and diagnostic accuracy were determined to be, respectively, 90.1 percent, 90.1 percent, 93.8 percent, 84.6 percent, and 90.8 percent. According to the study's findings, cell-count-based indices—in particular, the Mentzer index—are trustworthy, widely accessible techniques that have a high degree of discrimination power for identifying iron deficiency anemia.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Akhtar, R., Shams, M. U., Hanifi, A. N., and Waheed, A. (2017). Prevalence of anaemia in children under 12 years: a one year study in a Tertiary Care Hospital, Lahore. Pak J Med Health Sci 11, 1353-1356.

Awais, M., Ahmad, A., Farid, A., and Khan, H. (2022). MENTZER INDEX AS A SCREENING TOOL FOR IRON DEFICIENCY ANEMIA IN 6-12 YEARS OLD CHILDREN. Journal of Postgraduate Medical Institute 36, 235-8.

BALCI, T., Durmuş, A., Türkyürek, C., and BAYRAM, E. (2021). Evaluation of diagnostic accuracy tests of erythrocyte indexes in the differential diagnosis of beta thalassemia minor and iron deficiency anemia: A preliminary report. Cukurova Medical Journal 46, 1009-1017.

Boonrusmee, S., Thongkhao, A., Wongchanchailert, M., Mo-Suwan, L., and Sangsupawanich, P. (2022). Coexisting Iron Deficiency Anemia and Thalassemia Traits in Infants: Implication for an Anemia Screening Program. Journal of Tropical Pediatrics 68, fmac044.

Düzenli Kar, Y., Özdemir, Z. C., Emir, B., and Bör, Ö. (2020). Erythrocyte indices as differential diagnostic biomarkers of iron deficiency anemia and thalassemia. Journal of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology 42, 208-213.

EKRAM, A. H., HANAN, S. A., MAHMOUD, A. A., and OSAMA, M. (2018). The Diagnostic Performance of Red Cell Distribution Width and Mentzer Index for Discrimination between Iron Deficiency Anemia and Beta Thalassemia Trait. The Medical Journal of Cairo University 86, 3979-3988.

Gupta, A., Shrivastava, M., Srivastava, D., Gupta, A., and Navaid, S. Mentzer Index as a screening tool for differential diagnosis of Iron Deficiency Anaemia and Beta Thalassemia Trait.

Idrees, M., Khan, J. U. A., Riaz, H., Shah, M. A., Shah, H., and Haris, S. M. (2023). Utilization of Mentzer Index to Discriminate Between Beta Thalassemia Minor and Anemia of Iron Deficiency, Followed by HPLC. Pakistan Journal of Medical & Health Sciences 17, 843-843.

Oltean, A., and Chincesan, I. M. (2020). MENTZER INDEX IN PEDIATRIC THALASSEMIA TRAIT. REVISTA SOCIETĂŢII ROMÂNE DE CHIRURGIE PEDIATRICĂ, 35.

Rashwan, N. I., Ahmed, A. E.-A., Hassan, M. H., Mohammed, M. E., and Bakri, A. H. (2022). Hematological indices in differentiation between iron deficiency anemia and beta-thalassemia trait. Int J Pediatr 10, 5285-95.

Ringoringo, H. P., Sari, L. P., Yunanto, A., Syahadatina, M., and Hidayah, N. (2022). Reticulocyte hemoglobin equivalent as a diagnostic parameter of iron deficiency anemia in infants age 1-4 months. Arch Med Sci.

Shaha, H., Desaib, D., and Shahc, R. (2023). Role of Mentzer Index in Differentiating Iron Deficiency Anaemia and Beta Thalassemia Trait.

Sharma, A., Lone, A. H., Sharma, M., and Chaudhry, M. (2020). Significance of Mentzer Index and Erythrocyte Indices to Evaluate Erythrocyte Morphology and Spectrum of Anemia in Adult Population in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Rural Haryana. JK Science 22, 15-18.

Sherali, A., Ahad, A., Tikmani, S. S., and Sohail, S. (2023). Screening of Iron Deficiency Anemia in Children Using Mentzer Index in Pakistan: A Cross Sectional Study. Global Pediatric Health 10, 2333794X221130986.

Ullah, Z., Khattak, A. A., Ali, S. A., Hussain, J., Noor, B., Bano, R., and Mahsud, M. A. J. (2016). Evaluation of five discriminating indexes to distinguish Beta-Thalassemia Trait from Iron Deficiency Anaemia. J Pak Med Assoc 66, 1627-1631.

Who, U. (2001). Unu. Iron deficiency anaemia: assessment, prevention and control, a guide for programme managers. Geneva: World Health Organization, 1-114.