Abstract
Background: Hypochromic microcytic anemia (HMA) is a common condition with serious consequences if not detected and treated promptly. Hematological tests and biochemical indicators assessing iron metabolism help to identify the causes of HMA, especially iron deficiency anemia (IDA), hemoglobinopathy (HGP) and anemia of chronic disease (ACD). Aim: the purpose of study is to determinine several indicators assessing iron metabolism in HMA. Subjects and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 168 patients with HMA who visited and received treatment at Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital from January 2025 to January 2026, with three groups of causes including IDA, HGP and ACD. Results: The clinical manifestations of HMA were very diverse. The most common symptom was pallor (48.2%), followed by fatigue (47.6%), anorexia (31%), dyspnea (19%). The cutoff points of serum iron, ferritin, transferrin of saturation (TfS), unsaturated iron binding capacity (UIBC) in the prediction of HMA were 47.7 μg/dL, 112.7 μg/L, 13.7%, 50.0 μmol/L, respectively. The cutoff points of transferrin in the prediction of HGP was 274.5 mg/dL. The cutoff points of transferrin and TfS in the prediction of HGP were 274.5 mg/dL and 6.5%, respectively. Transferrin was an independent predictor of HGP and ACD, while serum iron and TfS were an independent predictors of ACD. Conclusions: Patients with HMA exhibited heterogeneous clinical manifestations. Serum iron, ferritin, TfS, and UIBC were useful predictors of HMA. Transferrin independently predicted HGP and ACD, whereas serum iron and TfS independently predicted ACD.
| Published | 2026-04-30 | |
| Fulltext |
|
|
| Language |
|
|
| Issue | Vol. 16 No. 02 (2026) | |
| Section | Original Articles | |
| DOI | 10.34071/jmp.2026.2.939 | |
| Keywords | Hypochromic microcytic anemia, iron deficiency anemia, hemoglobinopathy, anemia of chronic disease. |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2026 Hue Journal of Medicine and Pharmacy
World Health Organization. Anaemia in women and children. Global anaemia estimates, 2025 edition.
World Health Organization. Haemoglobin concentrations for the diagnosis of anaemia and assessment of severity, 2011.
Truscott SM. Chapter 6 - Laboratory calculations. In: Clarke W, Marzinke MA, editors. Contemporary Practice in Clinical Chemistry (Fourth Edition): Academic Press; 2020. p. 97-117.
Kasvosve I, Delanghe J. Total iron binding capacity and transferrin concentration in the assessment of iron status. Clin Chem Lab Med. 2002;40(10):1014–8.
Ministry of Health (Vietnam), Decision No. 1832/QD-BYT. Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of certain hematological diseases, 2022.
Weiss G, Ganz T, Goodnough LT. Anemia of inflammation. Blood. 2019;133(1):40–50.
Tran XT and Nguyen VS. "Clinical and paraclinical characteristics and some factors related to iron deficiency anemia in patients from 2 months to 60 months at Hospital A, Thai Nguyen", Journal of Science and Technology, Thai Nguyen University 2022, 227(14), pp. 22-27.
Fathy HA, S. TM, Khalifa NM. Effect of Microcytic Hypochromic Anemia and Parasitic Infestations on Stature in Adolescents. Egypt J Hosp Med. 2014;55(1):175–83.
Tran DC, Dang AL, Lan Hoang TN, Nguyen CT, Phuong Le TM, Mai Dinh TN, et al. Prevalence of Thalassemia in the Vietnamese Population and Building a Clinical Decision Support System for Prenatal Screening for Thalassemia. Mediterr J Hematol Infect Dis. 2023;15(1).
Mariani, R, Trombini, P, Pozzi, M, Piperno A. Iron Metabolism in Thalassemia and Sickle Cell Disease. Mediterr J Hematol Infect Dis. 2009;1(1):e2009006.
Pagani A, Nai A, Silvestri L, Camaschella C. Hepcidin and Anemia: A Tight Relationship. Front Physiol. 2019;10:494963.