Cytological findings in iron deficiency anemia

Area of Science:

• Oral pathology
• Hematology
• Cytology

Background:

• Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is a prevalent health issue in India.
• Buccal mucosal cells offer a non-invasive method for cytological examination.
• Morphometric analysis can reveal cellular alterations associated with systemic diseases.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the cytological changes in buccal mucosal cells of patients with iron deficiency anemia.
• To determine if morphometric parameters of buccal cells differ between IDA patients and healthy individuals.

Main Methods:

• Scraping of buccal mucosal cells from 40 diagnosed iron deficiency anemia patients.
• Morphometric analysis of cellular and nuclear parameters.
• Comparison of measurements with normal reference values.

Main Results:

• IDA patients exhibited a statistically significant increase in cellular diameter.
• A notable increase in nuclear diameter was observed in IDA patients.
• The nuclear to cytoplasmic ratio was significantly higher in the buccal cells of iron deficiency anemia patients.

Conclusions:

• Cytological examination of buccal mucosal cells reveals distinct morphometric alterations in iron deficiency anemia.
• These findings suggest buccal cell analysis could serve as a potential diagnostic aid for iron deficiency anemia.
• Further research is warranted to validate these cytological changes as biomarkers for IDA.