Comparing iron deficiency anaemia and anaemia of chronic disease using diagnostic indices

Comparing iron deficiency anaemia and anaemia of chronic disease using diagnostic indices

Lina Ciornienė, Regina Budrionienė¹

Objective. The purpose of this study was to investigate the diagnostic indi­ces of iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) and anaemia of chronic disease (ACD) and to compare the indices of anaemia, inflammation and iron metabolism be­tween two groups of patients.

Material and methods. Forty pa­tients with IDA and twenty patients with ACD were investigated. The serum iron of patients was tested with the spectrophotometric method and ferritin and C-reactive protein concentrations were tested with the immunoturbidi- metric method, using an ARCHITECT® c 8000 analyser. The concentration of haemoglobin, haematocrit, red blood cell count, erythrocyte indices, white blood cell count and differentiation, platelet count and erythrocyte sedimen­tation rate were tested with a Sysmex XE-2100 automated analyser.

Results. Comparison of laboratory diagnostic indices of IDA and ACD showed significantly higher haemoglo­bin concentration and erythrocyte indi­ces in patients with ACD, and red cell distribution was significantly higher in patients with IDA.

Conclusions. In the group of pa­tients with ACD microcytic hypochro­mic anaemia dominated and in the pa­tients with IDA normocytic normo­chromic anaemia dominated. The indi­ces reflecting iron metabolism were sig­nificantly higher in the group of pa­tients with ACD. The markers reflect­ing the inflammatory process were sig- nif-cantly higher in the patients with ACD than in the patients with IDA. In the group of patients with ACD, we found statistically significant correla­tion between ferritin and C-reactive protein.

Keywords: iron deficiency anaemia, anaemia of chronic disease, ferritin, C-reactive protein, red blood cell indices.