Red blood cell indices

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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.^[1]

1 Mean corpuscular volume
2 Mean corpuscular hemoglobin
3 Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration
4 References

[edit] Mean corpuscular volume

Main article: Mean corpuscular volume

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

$MCV = \frac{Hct}{RBC}$
Normal range: 80-100 μm³

[edit] Mean corpuscular hemoglobin

Main article: 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.

$MCH = \frac{Hb}{RBC}$
Normal range: 27-31 pg/cell

[edit] Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration

Main article: Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration

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

$MCHC = \frac{Hb}{Hct}$
Normal range: 32-36 g/dL