A mean corpuscular volume (MCV) is a type of blood test that measures the size of your red blood cells. A low MCV means that your red blood cells are smaller than average, possibly indicating iron ...

How Is a CBC Done? If the CBC is the only blood test you’re having, you can eat and drink like you usually would. Your part of the test is simple and takes just a few minutes. A nurse or lab tech will ...

Dear Dr. Roach: In a recent article, you spoke of small red blood cells. I have large ones. My MCV is 102, with no anemia. What causes this besides alcohol, and is it something to be concerned about?

It's that little number tucked away in the hemogram juxtaposed between the even more ignored abbreviations MCHC (mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration) and RDW (red cell distribution width). The ...