transitive verb. 1  To keep up or carry on; continue: maintain good relations. 2  To keep in an existing state; preserve or retain: maintain one's composure. 3  To keep in a condition of good repair or efficiency: maintain two cars.
Anemia is usually classified based on the size of RBCs, as measured by the mean corpuscular volume (MCV). Anemia can be microcytic (MCV typically less than 80 Î¼m3 [80 fL]), normocytic (80 to 100 Î¼m3 [80 to 100 fL]), or macrocytic (greater than 100 Î¼m3 [100 fL]).
Proper anemia screening requires not only sound laboratory methods and procedures but also appropriate Hb and Hct cutoff values to define anemia. The normal ranges of Hb and Hct change throughout childhood and during pregnancy, and are higher for men than women (1,2).Thus, criteria for anemia should be specific for age, sex, and stage of pregnancy.emoglobin (Hb) and hematocrit (Hct) measurements are the laboratory tests used most commonly in clinical and public health settings for screening for anemia.