Red blood cell indices: MCV, MCH, MCHC and RDW

Explanation

Red blood cell indices describe the size of red blood cells and the amount or concentration of hemoglobin inside them. Hemoglobin is the protein that carries oxygen. These measurements help interpret a blood count, especially when investigating anemia, a shortage of healthy red blood cells.

What do the abbreviations describe?

MCV, mean corpuscular volume, is the average size of a red blood cell. MCH, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, is the average amount of hemoglobin in one cell.

MCHC, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, describes how concentrated the hemoglobin is within the cells. RDW, red cell distribution width, describes how much the cells differ in size.

Can these values identify the cause?

They provide clues. For example, small cells can occur with iron deficiency, but also with inherited conditions that affect hemoglobin production. Large cells can occur with certain vitamin deficiencies or liver disease.

The pattern across several results matters more than one abbreviation. Your clinician considers these values with symptoms and other blood tests to investigate anemia.

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