Evaluation of Erythrocyte Indices in Children with Iron Deficiency

Objective: Iron deficiency (ID) is much more common than patients with iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) and the diagnosis of both of these conditions may be quite confusing. The aim of this study is to determine the frequency of anaemia in children with ID and to detect changes between erythrocyte indices. Methods: Data were collected from the electronic database of Gaziantep University Hospital outpatient clinics. A total of 400 children with ID (defined as ferritin levels <15 ng/mL) were included in the study. Results: Four hundred children with ID, 62 (15.5%) showed low haemoglobin (<11 gr/dl), reflecting IDA status. There were positive correlations between ferritin and, haemoglobin, (r=0.42, p<0.01), haematocrit, (r=0.32, p<0.01), mean corpuscular volume, (r=0.33, p<0.01), mean corpuscular haemoglobin, (r=0.40, p<0.01), and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration levels (r=0.40, p<0.01), however there were negative correlations between ferritin and red cell distribution as the cause of IDA in children.