Correlation of Red Cell Indices with Peripheral Smear Findings in the Morphological Classification of Anemia: A Hospital-Based Cross-Sectional Study: A Hospital-Based Cross-Sectional Study in Anemic Patients
Authors
Files
Key Information
Journal
Published in Vol. 1 No. 1 (2026) of Research Edge International Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies.
Research Edge International Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies is a peer-reviewed international journal dedicated to publishing high-quality research articles across diverse academic disciplines including science, medicine, engineering, social sciences, and humanities. The journal aims to promote interdisciplinary research and academic excellence.
About the JournalAbstract
Anemia is one of the most common hematological disorders encountered in clinical practice and remains a major public health concern, particularly in developing countries. Accurate diagnosis and proper morphological classification are essential for effective management. This study was conducted to assess the correlation between red cell indices obtained from an automated hematology analyzer and peripheral smear findings in patients diagnosed with anemia.
A hospital-based cross-sectional observational study was carried out over a period of six months, including 80 anemic patients aged 18 years and above. Complete Blood Count analysis was performed to record hemoglobin levels and red cell indices, including Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV), Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin (MCH), Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration (MCHC), and Red Cell Distribution Width (RDW). Peripheral blood smears were prepared using Leishman stain and examined microscopically for morphological evaluation.
Among the study population, females constituted 60% of cases, and the highest prevalence was observed in the 18–30 years age group. Moderate anemia was the most common severity pattern (47.5%). Based on red cell indices, microcytic anemia was predominant (57.5%), which was confirmed by peripheral smear examination showing microcytic hypochromic morphology in 55% of cases. Elevated RDW values correlated strongly with anisocytosis observed on smear examination. A high correlation accuracy of 92.5% was observed between MCV-based classification and peripheral smear findings, which was statistically significant (p < 0.05).
The study concludes that red cell indices, particularly MCV and RDW, are reliable for the initial morphological classification of anemia. However, peripheral smear examination remains essential for confirmation and identification of additional morphological abnormalities. A combined approach using automated hematology parameters and peripheral smear evaluation provides a more accurate and comprehensive method for diagnosing and classifying anemia in routine laboratory practice.
References
1. Liem, R. I., Lanzkron, S., Coates, T. D., DeCastro, L., Desai, A. A., Ataga, K. I., Cohen, R. T., Haynes, J., Osunkwo, I., Lebensburger, J. D., Lash, J. P., Wun, T., Verhovsek, M., Ontala, E., Blaylark, R., Alahdab, F., Katabi, A., & Mustafa, R. A. (2019). American Society of Hematology 2019 guidelines for sickle cell disease: cardiopulmonary and kidney disease. Blood Advances, 3(23), 3867–3897. https://doi.org/10.1182/bloodadvances.2019000916
2. Gallagher, P. G. (2022). Anemia in the pediatric patient. Blood, 140(6), 571–593. https://doi.org/10.1182/blood.2020006479
3. Garca, C. M., Fernndez, J. A., Argente, P., Rodrguez, D. C., Paula, A., Antonieta, B. M., Gerardo, P., Juan, R., Albert, P., Singsdal, K., Berg, T., Dybvik, J., Hansen, R., Kjellevold, T., Kristiansen, K., Farrimond, R., Gibbs, G., Rubio-Ollo, I., Boveda-Uribe, O., . . . Mousavi, S. (2023). Hematology and hemostasis. Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM), 61(s1), s1178–s1375. https://doi.org/10.1515/cclm-2023-7050
4. Akbarpour, E., Paridar, Y., Mohammadi, Z., Mard, A., Danehchin, L., Abolnezhadian, F., Azadpour, S., Rahimi, Z., Zamani, M., Cheraghian, B., Poustchi, H., & Shayesteh, A. (2022). Anemia prevalence, severity, types, and correlates among adult women and men in a multiethnic Iranian population: the Khuzestan Comprehensive Health Study (KCHS). BMC Public Health, 22(1), 168. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-12512-6
5. Mwafy, S. N., Afana, W. M., & Hejaze, A. A. (2022). Changes in Vitamin B12, Iron, Thyroid Hormones, Thyroid Autoantibodies and Hematological Indices Levels in Patients Suffering from Helicobacter pylori Infection. In IntechOpen eBooks. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.108036
6. Brugnara, C. (2015). Automated Hematology Analyzers: State of the art, an issue of clinics in laboratory medicine. Elsevier Health Sciences.
7. Bashir, R., & Khan, N. (2013). Prevalence of Iron Deficiency Anaemia among Adolescent Girls: And Impact of Health and Nutrition Education Programme in Changing their Dietary Behaviour. GRIN Verlag.
8. Mettananda, S., Songdej, D., & Suriapperuma, T. (2020). A guide to Paediatric red blood cell Disorder. Nova Science Publishers.
9. Umar, S. (2017). Diagnostic yield from colon biopsies in patients with inflammatory bowel disease and suspected cytomegalovirus infection: is it worth it? Annals of Gastroenterology, 30(4), 429–432. https://doi.org/10.20524/aog.2017.0153
10. Stewart, C. E., Koepke, J. A., & Thurrell, T. (1987). Basic quality assurance practices for clinical laboratories. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
11. Garca, C. M., Fernndez, J. A., Argente, P., Rodrguez, D. C., Paula, A., Antonieta, B. M., Gerardo, P., Juan, R., Albert, P., Singsdal, K., Berg, T., Dybvik, J., Hansen, R., Kjellevold, T., Kristiansen, K., Farrimond, R., Gibbs, G., Rubio-Ollo, I., Boveda-Uribe, O., . . . Mousavi, S. (2023b). Hematology and hemostasis. Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM), 61(s1), s1178–s1375. https://doi.org/10.1515/cclm-2023-7050
Details
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Muskan Mansuri
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
All articles published in Research Edge International Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are properly credited.
Authors retain copyright of their work and grant the journal the right of first publication.
