Q: My mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) is 32.3 pg. What does this mean?

A:Current haematology analysers generate a large number of parameters pertaining to red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets, the three types of cells present in our blood. This result is called a complete blood count (CBC). Among the red cell parameters (or indices) generated is the mean corpuscular haemoglobin or mean cell haemoglobin (MCH). It is a measure of the average amount of haemoglobin present in a red blood cell. The normal value of MCH is about 26 to 34 pg and it changes with the change in the size (or volume) of a red cell. Small red cells (microcytes) contain less haemoglobin while larger red cells (macrocytes) contain more haemoglobin. The MCH value is interpreted along with other red cell indices and a peripheral smear examination to help classify anaemias.