Blood Indices

Hello readers,today I am gonna tell you about some blood indices -there meaning, normal values, and units ! . Hopefully they will be useful . I always use to mess up them during my very first year :(

1)Mean corpuscular volume (MCV):It denotes the  volume in a single RBC .It correspond to size of RBCs ,so when MCV is in normal range it denotes normocyte .When MCV increases , RBCs are known as macrocytic  eg : megaloblastic anemia  and when it decreases ,cell are microcytic eg: iron deficiency anemia.
MCV can be calculated by automated hematology analyzer or by using hematocrit value
MCV:-Hematocrit (%) ×10/RBC count
                                        (million /cubic mm).

Unit of MCV is femtolitre(fL)
Normal value is 80-95 fL

2)Mean corpuscular hemoglobin(MCH):-
It's the quantity or amount of hemoglobin present in one RBC. It's normally expressed in picogram or microgram .
Normal range is 27-31 pg
Formula -
MCH :-Hb (gm per 100mL)/Total RBCs in blood(million per cubic mm) .                                  I think no need to tell MCH decreases in anemia :D

3)Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration: It is concentration of hemoglobin in one RBC.It is actually the amount of hemoglobin expressed in relation to volume of RBC.(It's actually
Combination of above two terms )
So we express it in gram /dL
Normal value is 33-36 gm/dL
Formula :
MCHC:
Hb(g/100mL)×100/Hematocrit(%).

When RBC size decrease , RBC is known as hypochromic
In pernicious anemia RBCs are macrocytic and normochromic While in iron deficiency RBCs are microcytic and hypochromic.

We don't have hyperchromic RBC because content of RBC is limited !

~Ojas