What does MCHC mean in a CBC blood test?

What does MCHC mean in a CBC blood test?

Doctors use information from the CBC to calculate your MCH. A similar measure to MCH is something doctors call “mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration” (MCHC). MCHC checks the average amount of hemoglobin in a group of red blood cells. Your doctor may use both measurements to help in a diagnosis of anemia.

What does low MCHC and MCH mean?

Mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) are indicators of your hemoglobin levels. Low MCHC and MCH levels are a sign of anemia, often caused by an iron deficiency, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Can anemia cause weight gain?

Dr. Jeffrey notes that weight gain related to anemia has a lot to do with fatigue. “Because of the symptoms that develop with anemia, you might experience weight gain due to lack of normal activity,” he says. “It’s usually the effect anemia has on lifestyle that causes weight gain.”

What diseases cause high MCHC?

Conditions that can cause high MCHC calculations are:

  • Autoimmune hemolytic anemia. Autoimmune hemolytic anemia is a condition that occurs when your body develops antibodies that attack your red blood cells.
  • Hereditary spherocytosis. Hereditary spherocytosis is a genetic disease affecting red blood cells.
  • Severe burns.

How long can you live with untreated anemia?

Without treatment, the median survival time for myelodysplastic syndromes range from less than a year to approximately 12 years , depending on factors such as number of chromosome abnormalities and level of red blood cells. However, treatment is often successful, especially for certain types of this condition.

Can stress cause high hemoglobin levels?

Results: Higher hemoglobin levels were found in those with current depressive and/or anxiety disorders after sociodemographic adjustment and both higher, and lower hemoglobin levels were found in persons with higher depression and anxiety severity.