Mean erythrocyte hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) is the average concentration of hemoglobin contained in each liter of blood. The average red blood cell hemoglobin concentration in a normal adult is (320-360)g/L (or 32%-36%). If the MCHC is 320g/L (or 32%), it is called a low mean erythrocyte hemoglobin concentration.
Mean erythrocyte hemoglobin concentration is usually used along with mean red blood cell volume (MCV) for the differential diagnosis of specific types of anemic patients. When the patient’s hemoglobin value is lower than normal, it is evidence of anemia. If the patient’s mean erythrocyte hemoglobin concentration is lower than normal at this time and the mean red blood cell volume is also lower than normal, the patient is more likely to have small cell hypochromic anemia, which is more common in clinical practice, such as iron deficiency anemia, thalassemia, and iron granulocytic anemia. The etiology can thus be narrowed down and the cause of the patient’s anemia can be clarified in combination with other relevant tests.
Therefore, the mean erythrocyte hemoglobin concentration is mostly used for the differential diagnosis of specific types of anemia, and low mean erythrocyte hemoglobin concentration is mostly associated with microcytic hypochromic anemia.