Red blood cell indices


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.

Mean corpuscular volume

Mean corpuscular volume is the average volume of a red blood cell and is calculated by dividing the hematocrit by the concentration of red blood cell count.
  • Normal range: 80–100 fL

Mean corpuscular hemoglobin

Mean corpuscular hemoglobin is the average amount of hemoglobin per red blood cell and is calculated by dividing the hemoglobin by the red blood cell count.
  • Normal range: 27-31 pg/cell

Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration

Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration 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 is a measure of the range of variation of red blood cell volume, yielding clues about morphology.

Erythropoietic precursor indices

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