How to Spot Anemia on a Blood Test in Minutes

[00:00:00]So, for instance, we'll start to look at maybe markers for anemia. So, if I start I start to see red blood cells creep below 4.2, that can be a sign that we're moving a little bit more anemic. If I start to see hemoglobin go below 13, that can be a sign that we're anemic. If I start to see hematocrit go into the mid to low 30s, that can be a sign that we're moving in that anemic pattern, right? Microcytic, hypochromic, low iron-based anemia. Iron is needed for red blood cells to grow and to mature.

[00:00:26]And so, if red blood cells are too small, that usually a sign of low iron.

[00:00:29]At the same standpoint, we [snorts] also go look at our indices. Our indices, there's three of them.

[00:00:35]MCV, mean corpuscular volume, MCH, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, and then mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration.

[00:00:41]And then you can also throw RDW in there, red blood cell distribution width. These are basically looking at how big the red blood cell and the hemoglobin hemoglobin molecule is. The bigger it is, it's a sign of we're missing certain B vitamins, like folate, B12, B6. Red blood cells need B vitamins to mature. So, red blood cells, they're like up of humans. They start off big, and then as they mature, they get smaller. And with low iron, they get too small. And with low B vitamins, they kind of stay a little bit too big.