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Updated: Dec 28, 2025
Author Spotlight: Developing a Point-of-Care Hemoglobin Estimation Method for Anemia Management
Published on: January 19, 2024
A New Indicator Derived From Reticulocyte Hemoglobin Content for Screening Iron Deficiency in an Area Prevalent for
Jutatip Jamnok1, Kanokwan Sanchaisuriya2, Chaninthorn Chaitriphop2
1Graduate School, Medical Science Program, Thailand.
Objective:
To establish a new indicator derived from reticulocyte hemoglobin (Ret-He) content and red blood cell (RBC) indices for screening for iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in an area in whch thalassemia is prevalent.
Methods:
Blood specimens from 304 women aged between 18 and 30 years residing in northeast Thailand were collected and measured for RBC and reticulocyte parameters. Iron deficiency was diagnosed when a participant had a serum ferritin level of less than 15 ng per mL. Thalassemia genotypes were defined by hemoglobin (Hb) and DNA analyses.
Results:
Of the total participants, 25% had iron deficiency (ID) and 50% carried the thalassemia gene. Various mathematical formulas were established and analyzed using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The formula derived from Ret-He: (Ret-He/RDW-SD) × 10, was the best predictor for identifying ID among participants (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.812). Further testing of this indicator among individuals with positive thalassemia-screening results revealed stronger performance with an AUC of 0.874.
Conclusions:
The findings indicate that the formula derived from Ret-He might be applicable for screening ID in areas in which thalassemia is prevalent.
