what is involved in a blood iron study
The MCV is a valuable tool in the initial classification of anemia and helps determine the. most cost effective strategy for evaluating the etiology of a patient’s anemia. For. example, the presence of microcytosis should lead to iron studies as part of the initial.
Often, the first test used to diagnose anemia is a complete blood count (CBC). The CBC measures many parts of your blood. The test checks your hemoglobin and hematocrit (hee-MAT-oh-crit) levels. Hemoglobin is the iron-rich protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to the body. Hematocrit is a measure of how much space red blood cells take up in your blood. A low level of hemoglobin or hematocrit is a sign of anemia. The normal range of these levels might be lower in certain racial and ethnic populations.