QuestionI have had slowly steadily lowering mcv (70) and increasing rdw (21).
and a slightly high RBC (6) for a year. Hematocrit and hemoglobin fell to
just below normal 2 months ago and so I started supplements (iron and
b12).
I have been taking iron and b12 for 2 months and the hematocrit and
hemoglobin returned to normal (barely) but the rdw and mcv was worse.
My iron tests are all normal (protein and serum etc)
the only other change is my neutrophils are moving to the top of normal
and lymphocytes are borderline low.
I do have a lot of flank and groin and abdomenal pain, so I am trying to
sort the possible significance out. Thanks.
AnswerRed cell distribution width (RDW) is a calculation of the variation in the size of your RBCs. In some anemias, the amount of variation (called anisocytosis) in RBC size (along with variation in shape - called poikilocytosis) causes an increase in the RDW. MCV stands for Mean Corpuscular Volume. When the MCV is decreased, your RBCs are smaller than normal (microcytic) as is seen in iron deficiency anemia or thalassemias. The most common cause of these two abnormalities is iron deficiency anemia, which is what you're being treated for. It's uncommon, though, in anemia, for a RBC count to be high as yours is. Causes of increased RBC are dehydration, pulmonary disease, congenital heart disease, polycythemia vera, and/or renal problems. If your numbers keep getting worse, I recommend checking with your doctor to find the cause of this. I'm not sure if this could be related to your flank/groin/abdominal pain.
Samantha
