The value of MCV,MCH and RDW in screening for thalassemia in pre-pregnancy checkup

Objective To examine the value of MCV (mean corpuscular volume),MCH (mean corpuscular hemoglobin) and RDW (red blood cell distribution width) in screening for thalassemia in pre-pregnancy checkup.Methods Mean corpuscular volume, MCH and RDW of the thalassemia patients(thalassemia group)diagnosed with polymerase chain reaction technique,as well as the healthy subjects(control group), were determined using automatic blood cell analyzer.Results The MCV,MCH and RDW were statistically different between the thalassemia group and the control(P0.05).The percentage of patients with values of normal MCV,MCH and high RDW was only 1.6%, and that of those with low MCV,MCH and normal RDW was 23.4%.However,71.9% of patients had low MCV,MCH and high RDW. Agreement rate between genetically diagnosed thalassemia patients and diagnosed patients according to haemotological parameters was 96.9%. In the other words, ninety-six point nine per cent of genetically diagnosed thalassemia patients appeared the haemotological criteria of thalassemia in MCV, MCH and RDW.Conclusion These data demonstrate that integrated analysis of MCV, MCH and RDW is a practical and economic approach to screening for thalassemia in pre-pregnancy in family planning service station.