Perchard Malaika, Barbaro Pasquale, Rane Mark, Norman Andrew
Queensland Children's Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
J Paediatr Child Health. 2023 Jan;59(1):153-158. doi: 10.1111/jpc.16265. Epub 2022 Nov 5.
Reticulocyte haemoglobin (Ret-He) is a useful marker in the assessment of iron stores in adult and paediatric patients. It is currently not utilised in Pathology Queensland. The objective of this study is to verify Ret-He in our Pathology Queensland laboratory and assess the clinical utility in the assessment of iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) in paediatric patients.
Samples from patients aged <18 years sent to the Pathology Queensland laboratory that had paired full blood count and iron studies were included in this study. A minimum of 120 samples were required for verification of testing requirements and a minimum of 30 samples per age range were required for confirmation of published age-related reference intervals.
Published Ret-He reference intervals were confirmed for stated age ranges in normal (non-ID) patients. Ret-He below the reference range for age demonstrated a good correlation with ID and IDA.
Ret-He is a useful marker in the assessment of ID and IDA in a paediatric population. It is not affected by acute or chronic inflammation. Ret-He is sensitive and specific (86% and 92%) for the diagnosis of ID.
网织红细胞血红蛋白（Ret-He）是评估成人和儿科患者铁储备的一项有用指标。昆士兰病理科目前未使用该指标。本研究的目的是在昆士兰病理科实验室验证Ret-He，并评估其在儿科患者缺铁（ID）和缺铁性贫血（IDA）评估中的临床应用价值。
本研究纳入了送往昆士兰病理科实验室的年龄小于18岁患者的样本，这些样本同时进行了全血细胞计数和铁代谢检查。验证检测要求至少需要120个样本，确认已发表的年龄相关参考区间每个年龄范围至少需要30个样本。
已发表的Ret-He参考区间在正常（非ID）患者的规定年龄范围内得到确认。低于年龄参考范围的Ret-He与ID和IDA具有良好的相关性。
Ret-He是评估儿科人群ID和IDA的一项有用指标。它不受急性或慢性炎症的影响。Ret-He对ID诊断的敏感性和特异性分别为86%和92%。
