The mean corpuscular hemoglobin, or "mean cell hemoglobin" (MCH), is the average mass of
hemoglobin
Hemoglobin (haemoglobin BrE) (from the Greek word αἷμα, ''haîma'' 'blood' + Latin ''globus'' 'ball, sphere' + ''-in'') (), abbreviated Hb or Hgb, is the iron-containing oxygen-transport metalloprotein present in red blood cells (erythrocyte ...
(Hb) per
red blood cell
Red blood cells (RBCs), also referred to as red cells, red blood corpuscles (in humans or other animals not having nucleus in red blood cells), haematids, erythroid cells or erythrocytes (from Greek ''erythros'' for "red" and ''kytos'' for "holl ...
(RBC) in a sample of blood. It is reported as part of a standard
complete blood count
A complete blood count (CBC), also known as a full blood count (FBC), is a set of medical laboratory tests that provide cytometry, information about the cells in a person's blood. The CBC indicates the counts of white blood cells, red blood cell ...
. MCH value is diminished in
hypochromic anemia
Hypochromic anemia is a generic term for any type of anemia in which the red blood cells are paler than normal. (''Hypo''- refers to ''less'', and ''chromic'' means ''colour''.) A normal red blood cell has a biconcave disk shape and will have an a ...
s.
It is calculated by dividing the total mass of hemoglobin by the number of red blood cells in a volume of blood.
MCH=(Hb*10)/RBC
A normal MCH value in humans is 27 to 31
picogram
To help compare different orders of magnitude, the following lists describe various mass levels between 10−59 kg and 1052 kg. The least massive thing listed here is a graviton, and the most massive thing is the observable universe. ...
s (pg)/cell. The amount of hemoglobin per RBC depends on hemoglobin synthesis and the size of the RBC.
The mass of the red cell is determined by the iron (as part of the hemoglobin molecule), thus MCH in picograms is roughly the mass of one red cell. In
iron deficiency anemia
Iron-deficiency anemia is anemia caused by a lack of iron. Anemia is defined as a decrease in the number of red blood cells or the amount of hemoglobin in the blood. When onset is slow, symptoms are often vague such as feeling tired, weak, s ...
the cell mass becomes lighter, thus a MCH below 27 pg is an indication of iron deficiency.
The MCH decreases when Hb synthesis is reduced, or when RBCs are smaller than normal, such as in cases of iron-deficiency anemia.
Conversion to SI-units: 1 pg of hemoglobin = 0.06207
femtomole
The mole, symbol mol, is the unit of amount of substance in the International System of Units (SI). The quantity amount of substance is a measure of how many elementary entities of a given substance are in an object or sample. The mole is define ...
(fmol).
Normal value converted to
SI-units: 1.68 – 1.92 fmol/cell.
See also
*
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 ...
*
Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration
The mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) is a measure of the concentration of hemoglobin in a given volume of packed red blood cell.
It is calculated by dividing the hemoglobin by the hematocrit. Reference ranges for blood tests are 3 ...
*
Mean corpuscular volume
The mean corpuscular volume, or mean cell volume (MCV), is a measure of the average volume of a red blood corpuscle (or red blood cell). The measure is obtained by multiplying a volume of blood by the proportion of blood that is cellular (the hema ...
References
External links
FP Notebook
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin
Blood tests