The unreliability of mean corpuscular volume and mean cellular hemoglobin determinations in the diagnosis of α-thalassemia in newborn infants

✍ Scribed by T. Meloni; L. Solinas; S. Erre; A. Dore; D. Gallisai; F. Porqueddu

• Book ID: 104775238
• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1980
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 184 KB
• Volume: 135
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0340-6997
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00441636

✦ Synopsis

Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and mean cellular hemoglobin (MCH) were determined by means of a Hemalog 8/90 electronic counter in 51 full-term newborn infants with ~-thalassemia-2 and 15 with c~thalassemia-1, as well as in 150 normal newborn infants. The mean MCV and MCH values were 92fl _+ 06 and 33.26pg _+ 2.22 in the normal newborn infants, 82fl _+ 07 and 29.40 pg + 2.60 in the c~-thalassemia-2 subjects, and 73 fl _+ 06 and 26.07 pg _+ 2.05 in the a-thalassemia-1 subjects. Four of the 150 normal newborn infants had MCV's < 79 fl and MCH's < 29.00 pg whereas 5 of the c~-thalassemic subjects had MCV's > 90 fl and MCH's > 32.00 pg. We conclude that MCV and MCH determinations are unreliable in the diagnosis of c~-thalassemia in the neonatal period.