Suhailur Rehman
Aligarh Muslim University, India
Title: Correlative study of Mentzer’s index, RDWI and Hb electrophoresis for β- thalassemia trait
Biography
Biography: Suhailur Rehman
Abstract
The two most frequent types of microcytic anemia are beta thalassemia trait (β-TT) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA). Differentiation between the two is very important as individuals with the β-TT are usually asymptomatic and may be unaware of their carrier status unless diagnosed. It is estimated that about 50% of the world’s population with β-TT are in Southeast Asia. Electronic cell counters have been used to determine Mentzer’s index and Red cell distribution width index (RDWI) as a screening tool for β-TT. However, a definitive diagnosis of β-TT is based on the level of HbA2 on Hb electrophoresis. Considering the importance of diagnosing β-TT at an earlier stage, this study was carried out to determine the effectiveness of mentzre’s index and RDWI as a screening tool for β-TT. All those patients who are having MCV< 80, Mentzer’s index < 13 and RDWI< 220 were included in this study. A total of 1418 patients were having MCV< 80, out of which 58 patients were having mentzer’s index <13 and 54 patients having RDWI <220. Hb electrophoresis was done on patients having mentzre’s index <13 and RDWI <220. Hb A2 level between 3.5% and 8% was seen in 86% of the patients in mentzer’s index group and 92% of the patients in RDWI group. This study showed that RDWI was a better and more accurate predictive marker for β-TT as a screening tool, in comparison to mentzre’s index. The importance of mentzre’s index and RDWI lies in the fact that both the screening methods can be used to determine the patients who are the best candidates for Hb electrophoresis. This will ease the diagnosis of β-TT, especially in developing and under developed countries where the facilities are not available so easily. Keywords: Mentzer’s index, RDWI, Hb electrophoresis, β- thalassemia trait