Muhammad Ihtesham Khan, Hamid Nawaz Khan, Muhammad Usman.
Beta Thalassemia Trait; Diagnostic Importance of Haematological Indices in Detecting Beta Thalassemia Trait patients.
Professional Med J Jan ;25(4):545-50.

Objectives: To assess the sensitivity of the various discrimination indices as screening test in beta-thalassemia trait patients in our population. Study design: Cross sectional descriptive study. Period: 1-Sep 2012 to 31-Jan 2013 (5 months). Settings: Pathology Department, District Head Quarters (DHQ) Hospital, Rawalpindi. Materials and Methods: A total of 150 diagnosed cases of beta thalassemia trait were included in the study. Study was done from 1-Sep 2012 to 31-Jan 2013 in DHQ hospital, Rawalpindi. Four discrimination indices i.e. Mentzer, Shine & Lal, Srivastava, and Red cell Distribution Width Index were calculated for all the patients. The number of correctly identified cases were determined and sensitivity of each discrimination index was calculated accordingly. Results: The sensitivity in diagnosing beta thalassemia trait patients was highest for Shine and Lal index (95%), followed by Mentzer index (52% sensitivity), and then Srivasava index (46% sensitivity). Red cell distribution width index had poor sensitivity of 2% in our study. None of the discrimination indices showed 100% sensitivity. Conclusion: We concluded that Shine & Lal and Mentzer index are the most sensitive indices. They can be used for cheap and quick screening of beta-thalassemia trait patients in laboratories where advanced investigation tools are not available. Patients who give positive result for beta thalassemia trait with these indices may then be referred for further workup to confirm the diagnosis.

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