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[Usefulness of erythrocyte indices in the study of iron storage in infants]

H A Baptista-González1, M A Peñuela-Olaya, F Negrete-Valenzuela

  • 1Instituto Nacional de Perinatología, México, D.F., México.

Boletin Medico Del Hospital Infantil De Mexico
|September 1, 1993
PubMed

Insights

This study found that abnormal mean corpuscular volume (MCV) values can effectively identify infants with normal iron stores. This simple screening method aids in early detection of iron status in infants.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Hematology
  • Nutritional Biochemistry
  • Infant Health

Context:

  • Iron deficiency is a prevalent global health issue in infants.
  • Early identification of iron status is crucial for healthy development.
  • Erythrocyte indices are commonly used in pediatric health assessments.

Purpose:

  • To establish the correlation between erythrocyte indices and serum ferritin (SF) levels in infants.
  • To identify reliable indicators for normal iron stores in infants aged eight months.
  • To assess the diagnostic accuracy of mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) for iron status.

Summary:

  • 112 infants were studied, categorized by serum ferritin levels into severe deficient (<12 ng/mL), moderate deficient (12-20 ng/mL), and normal iron stores.
  • Abnormalities in MCH (40.1%), MCV (29.5%), and hemoglobin (Hb) (6.2%) were observed.
  • Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) demonstrated high specificity (0.88, 0.92) in identifying infants with normal iron stores, especially when SF < 20 ng/mL. Simultaneous alterations in MCH and MCV also showed high specificity (0.92).

Impact:

  • Abnormal MCV values, alone or with MCH, provide a high probability for identifying infants with normal iron stores.
  • This research offers a potentially simple and effective method for screening infant iron status.
  • Findings can inform public health strategies for preventing and managing iron deficiency in infants.

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