Dielectric spectroscopy of red blood cells in a randomized sample of anemic and non-anemic Egyptian first trimester pregnant and non-pregnant women in the rural district of Alexandria city: a primitive screening approach

Abstract

In Egypt, iron-deficiency anemia (I.D.A) is the most prevalent public health problem related to socioeconomics and lifestyle. Despite ferritin assay is the gold standard for (I.D.A), it is expensive and can be conflicted with other diseases. Hereby, new screening tools were emerged to monitor I.D.A. A sophisticated physical method depending on the electrical relaxation of R.B.Cs in anemic first trimester pregnant Egyptian women of a rural district in Alexandria was conducted. I.D.A was confirmed in all participant anemic women through calculated ferritin saturation percent. The dielectric permittivity and conductivity curves between control non-anemic non-pregnant and non-anemic pregnant women showed slight significant discrimination. These findings may be a primitive approach for I.D.A screening and further physical parameters will be needed to strengthen the idea.