Lab

Mean Corpuscular Volume

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Mean Corpuscular Volume, MCV Cutoffs for Microcytic Anemia, MCV, Mentzer Index

  • Findings
  • Normal (Units in femtoliters = 10^-15 liters)
  1. General
    1. MCV cutoffs vary from age to age
    2. MCV cutoffs also vary per reference
  2. MCV Normal Range
    1. Newborn: 95 to 121 fl
    2. Ages 6 months to 2 years: 70 to 86 fl
    3. Ages 12 to 18 years
      1. Boys: 78 - 98
      2. Girls: 78 - 102
    4. Age over 18 years: 78 to 98 fl
  3. MCV Cutoffs for Microcytic Anemia
    1. Age 1-2 years: <77 fl (CDC)
    2. Age 3-5 years: <79 fl (CDC)
    3. Age 6-11 years: <80 fl (CDC)
    4. Age 12-15 years: <82 fl (CDC)
    5. Age >15 years: <85 fl (CDC)
      1. Recommended adult microcytic MCV cutoff varies
      2. Some sources advocate MCV <78 and others <82
  • Calculations
  1. MCV = 10 x (Hematocrit / Red Blood Cell Count)
  2. Mentzer Index = MCV / RBC Count
    1. Ratio <13: Thalassemia
    2. Ratio >13: Iron Deficiency Anemia, Hemoglobinopathy
  1. Vitamin B12 Deficiency
  2. Folic Acid Deficiency
  3. Alcohol Abuse
  4. Liver disease
  5. Marrow aplasia
  6. Myelofibrosis
  7. Reticulocytosis
  8. Hypothyroidism
  1. Iron Deficiency Anemia
  2. Thalassemia
  3. Hemoglobinopathy
  4. Anemia of Chronic Disease
  5. Sideroblastic Anemia
  6. Chronic Renal Failure
  7. Lead Poisoning
  • References
  1. Dallman in Hallberg (1996) Iron Nutrition, p. 65-74
  2. (1998) MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 47:1-29 [PubMed]
    1. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/rr/rr4703.pdf