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Red blood cell indices

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Red blood cell indices are blood tests that provide information about the hemoglobin content and size of red blood cells. Abnormal values indicate the presence of anemia and which type of anemia it is.

Contents

Mean corpuscular volume

Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) is the average volume of a red blood cell and is calculated by dividing the hematocrit (Hct) by the red blood cell count.

  • M C V = H c t R B C
  • Normal range: 80-100 fL

    • Mean corpuscular hemoglobin

    Mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) is the average amount of hemoglobin (Hb) per red blood cell and is calculated by dividing the hemoglobin by the red blood cell count.

  • M C H = H b R B C
  • Normal range: 27-31 pg/cell

    • Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration

    Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) is the average concentration of hemoglobin per unit volume of red blood cells and is calculated by dividing the hemoglobin by the hematocrit.

  • M C H C = H b H c t
  • Normal range: 32-36 g/dL

    • References

    Red blood cell indices Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA