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The new mature red cell parameter, low haemoglobin density of the Beckman‐Coulter LH750: clinical utility in the diagnosis of iron deficiency
Author(s) -
URRECHAGA E.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
international journal of laboratory hematology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.705
H-Index - 55
eISSN - 1751-553X
pISSN - 1751-5521
DOI - 10.1111/j.1751-553x.2008.01127.x
Subject(s) - medicine , iron deficiency , receiver operating characteristic , erythropoiesis , anemia , gastroenterology , nuclear medicine
Summary The percentage of hypochromic red cells (%Hypo) is a diagnostic tool that has been used with biochemical markers to diagnose iron disturbances and is incorporated to National Kidney Foundation KDOQI guidelines for monitoring recombinant human erythropoietin therapy. %Hypo measurement has been restricted to analysers manufactured by Siemens. Low haemoglobin density (LHD%), a new parameter provided by Beckman‐Coulter, is derived from the traditional mean cell haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), using the mathematical sigmoid transformationThis study aimed to establish LHD% values in the normal population and in different types of anaemia, to investigate its clinical usefulness in the study of iron status and its correlation with %Hypo. Samples from 449 patients [120 healthy individuals, 86 iron deficiency anaemia (IDA), 102 chronic kidney disease, 58 anaemia of chronic disease and 83 β‐thalassaemia carriers] were run sequentially on the LH 750 (Beckman‐Coulter) and Advia 2120 (Siemens) analysers. The reliability of LHD% as a marker of iron deficiency was evaluated on a group of 152 consecutive patients with IDA. Good correlation was observed between %Hypo and LHD%, r 2 = 0.869. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis for LHD% and the diagnosis of iron deficiency was: cut‐off point 4.0%; area under the curve 0.976; sensitivity 95.2%; specificity 93.3%. There was a good level of agreement between LHD% and %Hypo. Both are suitable parameters for determining iron status and its availability for erythropoiesis, with the same clinical significance.