Comparative evaluation of iron status by reticulocyte haemoglobin content (CHr) in chronic kidney disease patients on haemodialysis and erythropoietin

Abstract

Due to the inflammatory state associated with uraemia, diagnosing iron deficiency using currently available assays is difficult in individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The goal of this study was to see how useful reticulocyte haemoglobin (CHr) is as a diagnostic tool for iron deficiency and a predictor of intravenous iron therapy in a group of CKD patients in Sri Lanka who were on haemodialysis. A hundred (100) individuals with CKD on regular haemodialysis and erythropoietin participated in this descriptive cross-sectional study. Serum ferritin, transferrin saturation, and reticulocyte haemoglobin were used to divide patients into groups (CHr). A single dose of intravenous (IV) iron 500 mg was given to all individuals with CHr<29 pg.To examine the response, the CHr was measured 72 hours after the IV iron treatment. Mean haemoglobin was 9.27 g/dL, mean serum ferritin was 243.5 ng/mL, mean transferrin saturation was 18.6%, and mean CHr was 29.2 pg in the population. Thirty-three of the 100 patients (33%) received IV iron therapy, which resulted in a significant increase in CHr 72 hours following treatment (p<0.001).