Reticulocyte Haemoglobin Equivalent to Assess Latent Iron Deficiency Anaemia in Blood Donors at Tertiary Care Hospital
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21276/apalm.3834Keywords:
latent iron deficiency anemia, reticulocyte hemoglobin equivalent, serum ferritinAbstract
Background: Reticulocyte Hemoglobin Equivalent (Ret-He) reflects the hemoglobin content of newly formed red blood cells and indicates iron availability for erythropoiesis. Blood donors, especially repeat donors, may develop latent iron deficiency despite normal hemoglobin levels, which routine donor screening often fails to detect.
Methods: A cross-sectional study of 240 blood donors was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Bhavnagar (January–December 2024) and categorized as first-time, repeated, or regular donors. CBC, Ret-He, and serum ferritin were analyzed, and diagnostic performance was assessed using sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, and ROC curves.
Result: The mean age of donors was 31.47 ± 7.98 years. Latent iron deficiency was detected in 56 donors (23.3%). Ret-He showed a cut-off value of 23.6 pg with 75% sensitivity, 53.26% specificity, and an area under the ROC curve of 0.673. Ret-He demonstrated a high negative predictive value of 87.5%.
Conclusion: Ret-He is a simple, rapid, and cost-effective tool for early detection of latent iron deficiency in blood donors and can be added to routine donor screening to improve donor safety.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Chirangi Somabhai Ninama, Pragnesh H. Shah, Rutvi P. Jotaniya
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