Erythrocyte indices

Also commonly called red blood cell indices or RBC indices, the erythrocyte indices are a set of clinically useful parameters calculated from measurements of erythrocytes. These are commonly reported as part of a complete blood count.

Basic indices

Mean corpuscular volume

Usually called MCV, this is the average volume enclosed by a red cell, calculated as:

 MCV = 10 x (Hematocrit / Red Blood Cell Count)

Additional derivations

Mentzer index

Mentzer Index = MCV / RBC Count

• Ratio <13: Thalassemia
• Ratio >13: Iron deficiency anemia, Hemoglobinopathy