Your red blood cells, or red blood cells, are responsible for transporting oxygen or carbon dioxide throughout the body. These red blood cells also need a protein called hemoglobin to function. The thing that controls the presence of this protein is the value called MCHC, which we constantly see in blood tests. But what is MCHC? What does high and low mean?
MCHC, that is, the mean erythrocyte hemoglobin concentration is a value included in whole blood assays. This value measures the hemoglobin concentration in each red blood cell in your blood, namely your red blood cells. The task of hemoglobin is to provide the flow of oxygen sent to every part of your body, starting from your lungs.
MCHCAnother definition of is the mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration. This value is measured by dividing hemoglobin by hematocrit. The hematocrit is the ratio of the volume of red blood cells to the total blood volume. height of MCHC hemolytic anemia can be caused by vitamin B and folic acid deficiency; low MCHC On the other hand, it can be caused by diseases such as iron deficiency anemia and Mediterranean anemia carrier. Now let’s look at all of them in detail.
What is the MCHC blood value we encounter in blood tests, what does it mean?
MCHC, It is an abbreviation of “Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration” in English. It can be translated into Turkish as “Average Erythrocyte Hemoglobin Concentration”. In blood tests, this value is shown by calculating the average amount of hemoglobin in red blood cells, that is, in our red blood cells, as a percentage. Of course MCHCof MCV, MCH and RDW There are also sub-parameters abbreviated as . These sub-parameters measure the structural changes of red blood cells in our blood.
So what does high MCHC mean?
MCHC your value is higher than normal high The presence of hyperchromia indicates that you have dark red blood cells. This test may vary depending on the time the test is taken, the season, and even the person. If it is a slight elevation, it may not be considered clinically. an extreme height your medical history, if any, your family’s medical history and other MCHC Your sub-parameters need to be checked. In such a case, we recommend that you consult the doctor at the nearest hospital immediately.
What are the causes of high MCHC?
- Hemolytic Anemia: It is one of the most common causes of high MCHC. In this disease, red blood cells, namely red blood cells, are destroyed on their own before the end of their life. The shape and structure of the cell undergoes changes due to the fragments that break off from the outside of the red blood cells. The hemoglobin inside is trapped and condensed, making the cell appear darker than it is.
- Low B12 and folate deficiency: In this case, the production balance of the red blood cell is confused. This, in turn, affects the hemoglobin density.
- Hereditary Spherocytosis: In this disease, the red blood cells, namely red blood cells, are in a spherical structure instead of their natural shape. The reason for this is the deficiency of some proteins in the structure of red blood cells. This is why the red blood cells are fragmented, decreasing in size and becoming spherical. This affects the concentration, that is, the MCHC height.
What is good for MCHC height?
- If the cause is hemolytic anemia, that is, the breakdown of your red blood cells, he will find the cause and recommend a treatment accordingly.
- If you have autoimmune hemolytic anemia, he or she will administer treatments such as cortisone, drugs to suppress the immune system, removal of the spleen, or splenectomy.
- If it is a condition due to B12 and folic acid deficiency, you need to use supplements for life. For hereditary spherocytosis, removal of the spleen, that is, splenectomy, is performed. However, hereditary spherocytosis cannot be completely cured with this treatment. It just helps to increase the lifespan of your red blood cells.
your doctor MCHC height He will start to apply the treatment according to these reasons by making examinations in a way to learn the reason.
What does low MCHC mean?
A lower-than-normal MCHC value indicates you have hypochromia, or paler red blood cells. Although this means that hemoglobin is low, it means that your heart and lungs are working harder than normal to deliver it, as your body does not receive the oxygen it needs. In such a case, we recommend that you consult the doctor at the nearest hospital immediately.
What are the causes of low MCHC?
- Iron deficiency: Iron deficiency, one of the most common causes of low MCHC, causes your hemoglobin to be less produced. It can also be caused by celiac disease.
- Infection: This is because the inflammation caused by the infection reduces the production of hemoglobin. At the time of infection, hemoglobin decreases faster in red blood cells.
- thalassemia
- Sideroblastic Anemia: In this condition, the bone marrow produces cells called sideroblasts instead of producing healthy red blood cells.
What is good for low MCHC?
- MCHC low One of the most common causes is iron deficiency. It may be good to use iron medications, that is, supplements recommended by your doctor.
- Do not forget to make your diet healthy and balanced. Create a diet program for iron intake.
- You can tell your doctor that you want to take vitamin C because vitamin C helps the body absorb iron. But ask him if it’s okay by telling him to look at your medical history.
MCHC low In order to be treated, first tests should be done to find out what caused it, and then treatments that can relieve this ailment should be applied. Some of your medicines May lower MCHC remember. Therefore, consult your doctor and have your medical history and your family’s medical history checked, and have the necessary controls done.
What should the MCHC normal to ideal ratio be?
- The MCHC value for adults should be in the range of 33 – 36 g/dL.
- The MCHC value for newborns should be in the range of 30 – 36 g/dL.
- For children, the MCHC value should be in the range of 31 – 37 g/dL.
MCHC’s unit of measurement may vary from hospital to hospital. Therefore, we recommend that you check by paying attention to the units of the value in your analysis or by making the necessary unit conversions.
So what are the other values MCV, RDW and MCH we encounter in the blood test?
- MCV: It is an abbreviation of the sentence “Mean corpuscular volume” in English. It can be translated into Turkish as the average red blood cell volume. This value is related to the shape of our red blood cells, that is, our red blood cells. It provides us with valuable information about the true size of our red blood cells.
- RDW: It is an abbreviation of the phrase “Red blood cell distribution width” in English. It can be translated into Turkish as red blood cell distribution width. This value measures how diverse our red blood cells, or red blood cells, are in size and volume.
- MCH: It is an abbreviation of the sentence “Mean corpuscular hemoglobin” in English. It can be translated into Turkish as the average amount of hemoglobin. This value measures the amount of hemoglobin in our red blood cells, or red blood cells. The difference with the MCHC is that the MCHC measures the average amount of “condensed hemoglobin”.
In today’s content, we answered the questions of what is MCHC that we encounter in blood tests, what should be its normal value, what does low and high mean. What we describe is for informational purposes only. Remember that as with all health issues, you should get the most accurate and specific information about your MCHC value from a specialist physician.