Erythrocyte indices; Blood indices; Mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH); Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC); Mean corpuscular volume (MCV); Red blood cell indices

• MCV: 80 to 100 femtoliter
• MCH: 27 to 31 picograms/cell
• MCHC: 32 to 36 grams/deciliter

Note: Normal value ranges may vary slightly among different laboratories. Talk to your doctor about the meaning of your specific test results.

This test is used to diagnose the cause of anemia. The following are the types of anemia and their causes:

• Normocytic/normochromic (NC/NC) anemia is caused by sudden blood loss, prosthetic heart valves, sepsis, tumor, long-term disease or aplastic anemia.
• Microcytic/hypochromic anemia is caused by iron deficiency, lead poisoning, or thalassemia.
• Microcytic/normochromic anemia results from a deficiency of the hormone erythropoietin from kidney failure.
• Macrocytic/normochromic anemia results from chemotherapy, folate deficiency, or vitamin B-12 deficiency.

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Review Date: 02/09/2010
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)