Comparative behavior of red blood cells indices in iron deficiency anemia and β-thalassemia trait

Background: β-thalassemia trait (β-TT) is an important differential diagnosis of iron deficiency anemia (IDA). It is important to distinguish between the above conditions to avoid unnecessary iron therapy. IDA and β-TT are the two most common causes of microcytic hypochromic anemia. Red blood cells (RBCs) indices are a simple, easy, and cost-effective method to get a primary and valuable information regarding the diagnosis of IDA and β-TT. Objectives: This study was focused on the comparison of RBC indices behavior: hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (Hct), RBC count, mean cell volume (MCV), mean cell hemoglobin (MCH), MCH concentration (MCHC), and red cell distribution width (RDW) in IDA and β-TT. Patients and Methods: Fifty subjects with IDA (12 males and 38 females, age range: 18-65 years) and fifty subjects with β-TT (twenty male and thirty females with age range: 17-66 years) were chosen. Both groups were investigated for RBC indices by automated hematology analyzer. Results: RBC count, Hb, and Hct were significantly lower with (P < 0.001) in IDA subjects than in β-TT subjects. MCH and MCHC were significantly lower with (P = 0.01 and 0.001, respectively) in IDA subjects than in β-TT subjects. RDW was significantly higher with (P < 0.001) in IDA subjects than in β-TT subjects. There is no significant difference with (P = 0.2) regarding MCV between IDA subjects and β-TT subjects. Conclusion: The study showed that RBC count, Hb, Hct, MCH, and MCHC were significantly lower in IDA subjects than in β-TT subjects, whereas RDW was significantly higher in IDA subjects than in β-TT subjects. There was no significant difference regarding MCV between IDA subjects and β-TT subjects.