Assessment of reticulocyte-haemoglobin equivalent (Ret-He) as a diagnostic indicator for iron deficiency anaemia
Introduction: Iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) is the most common cause of anaemia. The diagnosis of IDA, however, remains a challenge and is a problem worldwide. Serum iron study is commonly used for IDA diagnosis but there are some limitations. This study was conducted to evaluate reticulocyte-haemog...
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| Language: | English |
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Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia
2020
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| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/90191/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/90191/1/9upm.pdf |
| _version_ | 1848861000206385152 |
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| author | Bakri, Noor Amalia Mohd Tohit, Eusni Rahayu Idris, Faridah Ismail, Rusmawati |
| author_facet | Bakri, Noor Amalia Mohd Tohit, Eusni Rahayu Idris, Faridah Ismail, Rusmawati |
| author_sort | Bakri, Noor Amalia |
| building | UPM Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Introduction: Iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) is the most common cause of anaemia. The diagnosis of IDA, however, remains a challenge and is a problem worldwide. Serum iron study is commonly used for IDA diagnosis but there are some limitations. This study was conducted to evaluate reticulocyte-haemoglobin equivalent (Ret-He) as a screening tool for IDA diagnosis in adults. Method: This is a comparative case control study conducted in Hospital Tengku Ampuan Afzan, Kuantan consisting of adult patients with iron deficiency anaemia and a healthy control group. Haematological parameters (Hb, RBC count, MCV, MCH, RDW) inclusive of Ret-He and serum iron parameters (serum iron, transferrin saturation and serum ferritin) were measured. Correlation between Ret-He with other haematological and serum iron parameters were analysed. Results: There were 103 IDA adult patients with majority of them being female (85.4%) with median age of 36 years old. Malay ethnicity (79.6%) contributed to the larger proportion of adult IDA patients. The Ret-He value for patient and control groups were 16.50 ± 4.90 pg and 34.80 ± 1.97 pg, respectively. Ret-He was 89.32% sensitive and 100% specific with 100% positive predictive value (PPV) and 73.11% negative predictive value (NPV) when compared to transferrin saturation. There was significant correlation between Hb, MCH, MCV, RDW and serum iron, transferrin saturation and serum ferritin parameters with Ret-He. Conclusion: Ret-He together with a complete blood count, may serve as an alternative to the serum iron parameters for screening of IDA in adults. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-15T12:54:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | upm-90191 |
| institution | Universiti Putra Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-15T12:54:10Z |
| publishDate | 2020 |
| publisher | Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | upm-901912021-09-08T22:41:08Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/90191/ Assessment of reticulocyte-haemoglobin equivalent (Ret-He) as a diagnostic indicator for iron deficiency anaemia Bakri, Noor Amalia Mohd Tohit, Eusni Rahayu Idris, Faridah Ismail, Rusmawati Introduction: Iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) is the most common cause of anaemia. The diagnosis of IDA, however, remains a challenge and is a problem worldwide. Serum iron study is commonly used for IDA diagnosis but there are some limitations. This study was conducted to evaluate reticulocyte-haemoglobin equivalent (Ret-He) as a screening tool for IDA diagnosis in adults. Method: This is a comparative case control study conducted in Hospital Tengku Ampuan Afzan, Kuantan consisting of adult patients with iron deficiency anaemia and a healthy control group. Haematological parameters (Hb, RBC count, MCV, MCH, RDW) inclusive of Ret-He and serum iron parameters (serum iron, transferrin saturation and serum ferritin) were measured. Correlation between Ret-He with other haematological and serum iron parameters were analysed. Results: There were 103 IDA adult patients with majority of them being female (85.4%) with median age of 36 years old. Malay ethnicity (79.6%) contributed to the larger proportion of adult IDA patients. The Ret-He value for patient and control groups were 16.50 ± 4.90 pg and 34.80 ± 1.97 pg, respectively. Ret-He was 89.32% sensitive and 100% specific with 100% positive predictive value (PPV) and 73.11% negative predictive value (NPV) when compared to transferrin saturation. There was significant correlation between Hb, MCH, MCV, RDW and serum iron, transferrin saturation and serum ferritin parameters with Ret-He. Conclusion: Ret-He together with a complete blood count, may serve as an alternative to the serum iron parameters for screening of IDA in adults. Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia 2020-11 Article PeerReviewed text en http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/90191/1/9upm.pdf Bakri, Noor Amalia and Mohd Tohit, Eusni Rahayu and Idris, Faridah and Ismail, Rusmawati (2020) Assessment of reticulocyte-haemoglobin equivalent (Ret-He) as a diagnostic indicator for iron deficiency anaemia. Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 16 (suppl. 9). pp. 58-63. ISSN 1675-8544; ESSN: 2636-9346 https://medic.upm.edu.my/upload/dokumen/2020110611095609_2020_0458.pdf |
| spellingShingle | Bakri, Noor Amalia Mohd Tohit, Eusni Rahayu Idris, Faridah Ismail, Rusmawati Assessment of reticulocyte-haemoglobin equivalent (Ret-He) as a diagnostic indicator for iron deficiency anaemia |
| title | Assessment of reticulocyte-haemoglobin equivalent (Ret-He) as a diagnostic indicator for iron deficiency anaemia |
| title_full | Assessment of reticulocyte-haemoglobin equivalent (Ret-He) as a diagnostic indicator for iron deficiency anaemia |
| title_fullStr | Assessment of reticulocyte-haemoglobin equivalent (Ret-He) as a diagnostic indicator for iron deficiency anaemia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessment of reticulocyte-haemoglobin equivalent (Ret-He) as a diagnostic indicator for iron deficiency anaemia |
| title_short | Assessment of reticulocyte-haemoglobin equivalent (Ret-He) as a diagnostic indicator for iron deficiency anaemia |
| title_sort | assessment of reticulocyte-haemoglobin equivalent (ret-he) as a diagnostic indicator for iron deficiency anaemia |
| url | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/90191/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/90191/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/90191/1/9upm.pdf |