Darakhshan Ahmad, Nadeem Ikram, Shabnum Bashir, Asif Yasin.
Discrimination Indices for Diagnosis of Beta(?) Thalassemia Trait.
J Rawal Med Uni Jan ;22(1):18-21.

Background: To determine the reliability of hematological indices and derived formulas in diagnosing beta thalassemia trait. Methods: In this observational cohort study, patients diagnosed as beta thalassaemia minor were included. All hematological indices were recorded.Haemoglobin electrophoresis was performed using capillarys 2 flex piercing system. An HbA2 value > 3.5% was considered as a cut-off point for beta-thalassemia trait. Fourteen haematological indices were then applied according to the formulae and cut off values. Percentage of positive cases accurately identified along with the mean, median and mode were calculated for each discrimination index. Results: The study cohort constituted of total 493 patients, out of which 246 (49.9%) were male and 247 (50.1%) were females. The mean age of all the patients was 20.34 +12.835, with range of 6-50 years. The mean haemoglobin level of all patients was 10.82+1.64 and ranged between 4.60 and 16.30. A red blood cell count more than 4.9 X 10 12/l and a MCH less that 25 pg were the most consistent findings. Srivastava index was more near to predicting beta thalassaemia minor . Conclusion: Red cell indices and discrimination factors have a potential utility in screening for ? thalassaemia trait , keeping in view their sensitivity and specificity.

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