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.MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: R BC indices

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 concentration of red blood cell count.

Normal range: 80–100 fL (femtoliter)

Mean corpuscular hemoglobin

AbbreviationMCHNormal range27–33 pgUnitpicograms (pg)Calculated fromHGB ÷ RBC × 10Stability at 4°CUp to 18 h Mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) is the average mass of haemoglobin contained in a single red blood cell, expressed in picograms (pg). It is calculated from the haemoglobin concentration and RBC count: MCH = HGB (g/dL) ÷ RBC (×10¹²/L) × 10. It is reported as part of the CBC red cell indices.

Storage Stability MCH remained stable for up to 18 hours when stored at 4±1°C. After this period, significant changes were observed.

Clinical Significance

↓ MCH (hypochromic): Iron deficiency anaemia, thalassemia ↑ MCH (hyperchromic): Macrocytic anaemia (B12/folate deficiency), cold agglutinins MCH parallels MCV closely in most situations; discordance may suggest specific conditions.

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.

Normal range: 32-36 g/dL

Red blood cell distribution width

Red blood cell distribution width (RDW or RDW-CV or RCDW and RDW-SD) is a measure of the range of variation of red blood cell (RBC) volume, yielding clues about morphology.

Erythropoietic precursor indices

The reticulocyte production index (RPI) or corrected reticulocyte count (CRC) represents the true significance of the absolute reticulocyte count to provide some reflection of erythropoietic demand and supply. The immature reticulocyte fraction (IRF) goes a step further to cast more light on the same question.

Worked example

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