First of all MCV is a way to measure the average size or volume of the individual blood cells in femtoliters, which normally has to be in the range between eighty and one hundred.
MCH is the way to measure the amount of
hemoglobin in the average red blood cell, which should be twenty-seven to thirty-one picogram per cell.
If the MCV is not within the normal range, this means that the red blood cells are either larger or smaller than they normally should be.
With a high MVC, this means that a person may be suffering from pernicious or hemolyctic anemia. Some of the causes of a high MCV can include
alcohol abuse, nutritional deficiencies, or a deficiency in folic acid or
vitamin B12. If the MCV is low a person could have
thalassemia, gastrointestinal blood loss, or
iron deficiency anemia. Most of the time, an abnormal MCV just means that you have some form of anemia.
When they consider the MCH in the
complete blood count test, it is a measurement of what the approximate amount of oxygen-carrying hemoglobin is in the red blood cell. It the red blood cells are large they are referred to as macrocytic and will usually have a higher MCH. If the red blood cells are smaller they are referred to as microcytic and has a lower MCH,
If the complete blood count test comes back showing that you have high MCH this can indicate that you have
macrocytic anemia. This type of anemia is caused by not having enough vitamin B12 or folic acid. How to treat a MCH that is high depends on the cause of it being this way. Treatment also depends on any other medication they may be taking or medical conditions the patient might have. If macrocytic anemia is the cause,adding vitamin B12 and folic acid supplements will help.
Regards
Dr De