The role of automated measurement of red cell subpopulations on the Sysmex XE 5000 analyzer in the differential diagnosis of microcytic anemia.

Cell counter-based formulae have been used in the differential diagnosis of microcytic anemia. The measurement of new red cell parameters is now available on the Sysmex XE 5000 analyzer. Derived from the percentages of microcytic and hypochromic red cells, the authors describe the new formula %microcytic-%hypochromic, M-H index. The aim of this study was to assess the discriminant value of this new index in the differential diagnosis of microcytic anemia and thalassemia screening compared to the published indices. Receiver operating characteristic curves, sensitivity, specificity and Youden index were calculated for a set of 170 iron-deficiency anemia patients and 200 β thalassemia carriers. % microcytic-% hypochromic index showed the best area under the curve (area under curve AUC, 0.994) and Youden index (93.9%), among considered indices; 98% sensitivity, 95.9% specificity, at a cutoff value >11.5; Green and King index ranked second (AUC 0.99, Youden index 90.8%). Because of high sensitivity and specificity, the new index %microcytic-%hypochromic was the most reliable index evaluated. M-H index could be a useful tool in the differential diagnosis of microcytic anemia, and samples with M-H>11.5 can be chosen for further analysis to confirm the diagnosis of thalassemia.