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]).
In general, MCV is the most useful index and divide the anemias into microcytic, normocytic and macrocytic types. The MCH and MCHC add very little to the information provided by MCV. Another piece of useful information on the CBC results is Red Cell Distribution Width (RDW). The RDW is an expression of the size distribution spread of the erythrocyte population.