Mean corpuscular hemoglobin
(MCH)

Sample type

Blood sample (EDTA Blood).

Uses

1. It is done as part of blood indices.

2. It is done to diagnose anemia (This is the mean of the weight of average hemoglobin in one RBC) .

Precautions

1. Person should be on their usual diet.

2. Keep in mind that the abnormal size of the RBC may affect the value.

3. The presence of cold agglutinins gives false raised value.

4. Raised WBC count also affects the value.

Interfering factors

Diet and medicines can affect the results of MCH :- iron rich food can increase the result of MCH .

Pre analytical errors

Hemolysis can affect the result of hemoglobin and also affect the result of MCH .

Corrective action

Appropriate storage of sample

Post analytical errors

Wrong calculation of MCH

Corrective action

MCH = Hb (in g/L)/RBC (in millions/µL) or. MCH = [Hb (in g/dL)/RBC (in millions/µL)] x 10.

Normal range

The normal range for MCH is between 27.5 and 33.2 picograms (pg).