Red blood cell indices

Red blood cell indices
	Medical diagnostics
Purpose	information about the hemoglobin content and size of red blood cells

Short description: Details about red blood cells as part of a standard blood test

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]

Mean corpuscular volume

$MCV = \frac{Hct}{[RBC]}$
Normal range: 80–100 fL (femtoliter)

Mean corpuscular hemoglobin

Abbreviation	MCH
Normal range	27–33 pg
Unit	picograms (pg)
Calculated from	HGB ÷ RBC × 10
Stability at 4°C	Up 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. ^[2]

Storage Stability

MCH remained stable for up to 18 hours when stored at 4±1°C. After this period, significant changes were observed. ^[3]

Clinical Significance

↓ MCH (hypochromic): Iron deficiency anaemia, thalassemia ^[2]
↑ MCH (hyperchromic): Macrocytic anaemia (B12/folate deficiency), cold agglutinins ^[2]
MCH parallels MCV closely in most situations; discordance may suggest specific conditions. ^[2]

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. ^{[citation needed]}

$M C H C = \frac{H b}{H c t}$
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.^{[citation needed]}

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.^{[citation needed]}

Worked example

Template:Red blood cell indices worked example

References

↑ MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: R BC indices
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 ^2.3 Barbara J., Leach, Bain, Mike (2025). Blood Cells: A Practical Guide (7th ed.). John Wiley \& Sons (published 10 November 2025). ISBN 978-1-394-33205-2.
↑ Hussain, Sajid, Mehmood, Rubaida, Arshad,Farhatul-Ain, Khan,Saqib (2018). "Evaluation and Comparison of Stability and Reliability of CBC Parameters Determined by Using Automatic Celltac G MEK-9100 Hematology Analyzer during Extended Storage at 4°C". Journal of Clinical Research & Bioethics 9 (2): 324. https://scispace.com/journals/journal-of-clinical-research-bioethics-x4gwxdgn.

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[1] MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: R BC indices

[:0-2] 2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 ^2.3 Barbara J., Leach, Bain, Mike (2025). Blood Cells: A Practical Guide (7th ed.). John Wiley \& Sons (published 10 November 2025). ISBN 978-1-394-33205-2.

[3] Hussain, Sajid, Mehmood, Rubaida, Arshad,Farhatul-Ain, Khan,Saqib (2018). "Evaluation and Comparison of Stability and Reliability of CBC Parameters Determined by Using Automatic Celltac G MEK-9100 Hematology Analyzer during Extended Storage at 4°C". Journal of Clinical Research & Bioethics 9 (2): 324. https://scispace.com/journals/journal-of-clinical-research-bioethics-x4gwxdgn.

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