Many tests look at the RBCs: their number and size, amount of Hb, rate of production, and percent composition of the blood. The RBC count, Hct, and Hb are closely related but different ways to look at the adequacy of erythrocyte production. The same conditions cause an increase (or decrease) in each of these indicators.

Subtopic(s):

• RBC Count (Erythrocyte Count)
• Hematocrit (Hct); Packed Cell Volume (PCV)
• Hemoglobin (Hb)
• Red Blood Cell Indices
• Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV)
• Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration (MCHC)
• Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin (MCH)
• Red Cell Size Distribution Width (RDW)
• Stained Red Cell Examination (Film; Stained Erythrocyte Examination)
• Reticulocyte Count
• Sedimentation Rate (Sed Rate); Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR)