Screening of Iron Deficiency Anemia in Children Using Mentzer Index in Pakistan: A Cross Sectional Study

The objective of the study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of Mentzer Index in children with hypochromic microcytic anemia by taking serum ferritin levels as a gold standard. This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Pediatric Medicine, Liaquat National Hospital Karachi, from 1st January to 30th June 2022. Children age 1 to 5 years and both genders were included in this study. Children who have had a history of blood transfusion in the past 3 months or Thalassemia or blood disorders, chronic liver disease or kidney diseases, and children with malignancy and congenital abnormalities were excluded. Eligible children were enrolled after taking written informed consent. Complete blood count (CBC) and serum ferritin were sent to the laboratory. Sensitivity, specificity, diagnostic accuracy, and likelihood ratio were calculated taking serum ferritin levels as a gold standard. A total of 347 subjects were enrolled. The median age was 26 (IQR-18) months and 42.9% were males. The most common symptom was fatigue 40.9%. The sensitivity of the Mentzer index was 80.7% while the specificity was 77.7%. Similarly, the positive predictive value (PPV) was 56.8% while the negative predictive value (NPV) was 91.6%. Finally, the accuracy of the Mentzer index in determining iron deficiency anemia was 78.4%. Diagnostic accuracy was 78.4% and the likelihood ratio was 3.6. Mentzer index is a valuable tool in the early detection of IDA in children. It has got high sensitivity, specificity diagnostic accuracy, and likelihood ratio.