What does Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV) measure?

Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV) specifically measures the average volume or size of a single red blood cell (RBC). This value is an important parameter in a complete blood count (CBC) and is expressed in femtoliters (fL). It provides insight into the nature of anemia and other blood disorders.

Understanding MCV assists clinicians in determining whether the red blood cells are microcytic (smaller than normal), normocytic (normal size), or macrocytic (larger than normal), which can help in diagnosing underlying conditions. For instance, a low MCV might suggest iron deficiency anemia, whereas a high MCV could indicate vitamin B12 or folate deficiency.

The other concepts relate to different measurements in hematology but do not pertain to the volume of individual RBCs. The average hemoglobin content refers to a different metric called Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin (MCH), while the RBC count provides the total number of red blood cells in a given volume of blood. Lastly, the average platelet volume is referred to as Mean Platelet Volume (MPV) and is not directly related to red blood cells.