A STUDY TO ACCESS THE CORRELATION OF MORPHOLOGICAL TYPING OF ANEMIA USING RDW WITH RBC INDICES AND PERIPHERAL BLOOD SMEAR

Abstract

Background: Anemia as a disease entity was well known to ancient Greek and Indian physicians. Anemia affects an estimated 2.36 billion individuals globally, especially women and children. Clinically useful approach classifies anemia according to alterations in red cell morphology. Once anemia is established, a morphological typing of anemia helps the clinician to approach the cause of anemia. Morphological typing of anemia is based on RBC indices – MCV, MCH and PCV.

Methods: This study is a two years prospective study conducted between Jan 2019 to Dec 2020 at the Department of Pathology, Sardar Patel Medical College and Associated Group of Hospitals, Bikaner. All the patients with the clinical suspicion of anemia who attended PBM and associated group of hospitals during study period, were included and investigated. The RBC indices and RDW was done using a 5 part automated hematology analyser and PBF was prepared, stained with leishmann’s stain and reported for morphological typing of Anemia.

Results: We received a total of 542 cases with clinical features of anemia during the study period. Microcytic hypochromic anemia was the most common type of anemia and females were affected more than males. Overall 83.21% of the cases showed concordant typing of anemia with RBC indices alone and 16.79% cases showed discordant typing, which need to be typed correctly with peripheral blood smear examination. In 91 cases of non concordant typing of anemia, most of the cases were typed as Normocytic normochromic anemia with raised RDW with RBC indices alone.

Conclusions: In our study the findings can be summarized in one line – Peripheral blood smear examination even today cannot be totally replaced by automated hematology analysers as they provide so much additional information which cannot be summarized completely by the mere numerical calculations of an automated analyser

Keywords: Anemia, RBC Indices, RDW, Peripheral Blood Smear