Role of Mentzer Index (Mi) In Screening Iron Deficiency Anemia (Ida) In Children At Tertiary Care Hospital
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51253/pafmj.v76iSUPPL-6.12036Keywords:
Anemia, Ferritin, Iron Deficiency, Mentzer Index, ScreeningAbstract
Objective: To verify the significance of the Mentzer index as a method of screening Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in preschool children.
Study Design: Analytical cross-sectional study.
Place and Duration of Study: Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Rawalpindi, Pakistan, from Aug 2023 to Feb 2024.
Methodology: Using non-probability consecutive sampling, 358 children presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) and Outpatient Department (OPD) were included. Anemia in preschoolers (3–5 years old) was identified using World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. The Mentzer index (MI) was calculated for each participant. Samples were collected for serum ferritin levels, to confirm the diagnosis of IDA.
Results: The mean age of participants in our study was 3.97±0.88 years. Of the 358 participants, 187 were females (52.20%) and 171 were males (47.80%). The mean hemoglobin level was 9.06±1.16g/dl, the Red Blood Cell (RBC) count was 5.02±0.808 x106/µL, the Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV) was 64.10±8.61 fL, the hematocrit level (HCT) was 28.79±2.82% and the average serum ferritin level was 12.57±10.28 µg/l. The results of the validation statistical model were obtained including sensitivity (88.14%), specificity (84.43%), Positive Predictive Value (91.67%), Negative Predictive Value (78.63%), and diagnostic accuracy (86.87%).
Conclusion: The Mentzer Index exhibits satisfactory validation statistics, including diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and NPV, making it a reliable screening tool for IDA.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Muhammad Shoaib, Kanwal Jehanzeb, Basit Javed, Ali Maqsood, Samina Tabussam, Qazal Arslan
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