Comparison of reticulocyte hemoglobin equivalent with traditional markers of iron and erythropoiesis in pediatric dialysis

Background Anemia is a major complication for patients on chronic dialysis. Erythropoietin is effective if iron is available, however unnecessary iron supplementation results in iron overload. Reticulocyte hemoglobin equivalent (Ret-He) may be useful for assessing iron status. Methods A national retrospective cohort study including all children on chronic dialysis in New Zealand between 2007 and 2013, pairing Ret-He with demographic information, anemia indices, and markers of iron status. Results In 606 observations, we found a modest relationship between Ret-He and transferrin saturation (TSAT) ( r = 0.34, p