Background: Iron deficiency anemia is common in congenital heart disease (CHD) children. The recent development of automated analyzers has made it possible to measure reticulocyte hemoglobin content (RET-He), which is thought to reflect iron content in reticulocytes.
Objectives: this study aims to investigate whether or not RET-He is a good indicator in comparison with other hematimetric and biochemical iron parameters in terms of diagnosing iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in children with CHDs.
Methods: This is a case-control study conducted in the pediatric cardiology clinic of Zagazig University hospitals on 60 patients with CHD (study group) and 30 ages– and sex-matched healthy children (control group) during the period of October 2018 to May 2019. The participants were subdivided according to iron status (serum iron and transferrin saturation) and blood hemoglobin levels(HGB). All subjects underwent history taking, clinical examination, echocardiography, and lab investigations for complete blood count (CBC), iron profile, and reticulocyte profiles.
Results: RET-He shows a significant reduction in patients with CHD. It can be used to differentiate between Iron deficiency and Iron Deficiency Anemia. That was confirmed using ROC and the decision tree.
Conclusions: The prediction of IDA in CHD children can be made based on the RET-He provided by automated analyzers without the requirement of additional biochemical investigations.