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What Causes Enlarged Red Blood Cells?
Question: my blood test says my red blood cells are found to be large
Brief Answer:
Large MCV or RDW
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome,
I imagine that you are referring to on your complete blood cell count (CBC) that you had an increased number for RDW (red cell distribution width) or MCV (mean corpuscular volume).
Large red blood cells can be a sign of certain nutritional deficiencies such as not having enough iron, folate (a B vitamin) or vitamin B 12. There are additional blood tests that can be done to evaluate whether any of those are low.
It can also be a sign of the following:
Aplastic anemia
Chronic liver disease
Chemotherapy
Antiviral medications
Drinking Alcohol
Immune hemolytic anemia
The effects of chemotherapy
Myelodysplastic syndrome
So if this has never been evaluated for you, it should be looked into as to what the cause is. This can be evaluated with further blood tests based on your medical history.
I hope this information helps. Please let me know if I can provide further information.
Large MCV or RDW
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome,
I imagine that you are referring to on your complete blood cell count (CBC) that you had an increased number for RDW (red cell distribution width) or MCV (mean corpuscular volume).
Large red blood cells can be a sign of certain nutritional deficiencies such as not having enough iron, folate (a B vitamin) or vitamin B 12. There are additional blood tests that can be done to evaluate whether any of those are low.
It can also be a sign of the following:
Aplastic anemia
Chronic liver disease
Chemotherapy
Antiviral medications
Drinking Alcohol
Immune hemolytic anemia
The effects of chemotherapy
Myelodysplastic syndrome
So if this has never been evaluated for you, it should be looked into as to what the cause is. This can be evaluated with further blood tests based on your medical history.
I hope this information helps. Please let me know if I can provide further information.
Note: Do you have more questions on diagnosis or treatment of blood disorders? Ask An Expert/ Specialist Now
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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