Establishment and Efficacy Evaluation of a Diagnostic Equation for Distinguishing Between Thalassemia and Iron Deficiency Anemia in Preschool Children
Yang Mingyu
Chen Chen
Xian Zhimin
Abstract：Objective:To establish a diagnostic equation for distinguishing between thalassemia(TT)and iron deficiency anemia(IDA)in preschool children using red blood cell and reticulocyte parameters,and to evaluate its diagnostic efficacy.Methods:A total of 222 preschool children with anemia who were treated at the Shenzhen Pingshan District Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital between October 2021 and May 2022 were selected as the study subjects.Multiple comparisons between groups were performed using red blood cell and reticulocyte analysis parameters.Advantageous parameters were selected to establish diagnostic equations for IDA and α-TT(Formula-1)and for IDA and β-TT(Formula-2).The sensitivity,specificity,and Youden index of Formula-1 and Formula-2 were analyzed.The area under the curve(AUC)was calculated using the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve and compared with 10 commonly used discrimination indices overseas.Results:When distinguishing between IDA and α-TT,RDW-SD as a single parameter has the highest AUC and YI index,with high specificity but low sensitivity.When distinguishing between IDA and β-TT,RBC has the highest AUC and YI index,with high sensitivity but low specificity.Compared with the 10 commonly used discrimination indices abroad,Formula-1 and Formula-2 have the best diagnostic performance.Conclusion:The newly developed Formula-1 and Formula-2 discrimination equations,which apply red blood cell and reticulocyte parameters,have higher diagnostic value in distinguishing IDA,α-TT,and β-TT in preschool children.
Keywords：Preschool childThalassemiaIron deficiency anemiaDifferential diagnosis
Publication Date：2025-11-10
Online Publishing Date：2025-12-02(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：4( 2563-2566 )