mean corpuscular volume (MCV)

by: Joe Hing kwok Chu

Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) is the average volume of an individual cell.

It is calculated either by automatic equipments or manually dividing the volume of packed cells (hematocrit) by the number of red blood cells. The size is expressed in cubic micrometers.

Clinical implications:

MCV increased:

Folic acid deficiency (dietary, mal-absorption, pregnancy)

Vitamin B12 deficiency (pernicious anemia, mal-absorption)

Reticculocytosis, (acute bleeding, hemolytic anemia)

Cirrhosis

Chronic alchoholism

Less common causes of increase MCV include: malignancy, phenytoin or cyto-toxic drugs, myxedema, sideroblastic anemia, or aplastic anemia.

MCV decreased:

Chronic iron deficiency

Alpha-or beta-thalassemia

Anemia of chronic disease (uremia, rheumatoid-collagen disease, severe chronic infection, etc)

Less common causes include: polycythemia, lead poisoning, congenital spherocytosis, and some abnormal hemoglobins (HbE, Hb Lepore)

Back to Complete Blood  Cell Count