Sirachainan et al reported an equation for distinguishing microcytic anemia due to thalassemia trait from that in iron deficiency anemia. The authors are from Ramathibodi Hospital and Mahidol University in Bangkok.
Patient selection: person living in a region with prevalence of thalassemia.
Parameters:
(1) hemoglobin iin g/dL
(2) MCV in femtoliters
score =
= (1.5 * (hemoglobin)) - (0.05 * (MCV))
Interpretation:
• A score > 14 is associated with thalassemia trait.
Performance:
• The area under the ROC curve is 0.92. The sensitivity was 0.85 and specificity 0.88.
• Performance will vary in prevalence of the region. In this study area the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia was 12% and of thalassemia was 32%.
• The presence of both iron deficiency and thalassemia trait will affect performance.
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