Diagnosis of anemia is based on reductions in which two blood measurements?

• A. White blood cell count
• B. Hematocrit, hemoglobin
• C. Platelet count
• D. Mean corpuscular volume

Answer: (B)

Anemia is diagnosed by a drop in red cell mass, which is shown by decreases in hemoglobin and hematocrit. Hematocrit is the percentage of blood volume made up by red blood cells, while hemoglobin is the amount of protein inside those cells that actually carries oxygen. When both are low, there are fewer red blood cells or less hemoglobin to carry oxygen, defining anemia.

White blood cell count and platelet count assess other blood cell lines and don’t measure red cell mass, so they don’t establish anemia. Mean corpuscular volume tells you the average size of red cells and helps classify the type of anemia, but it isn’t by itself a measure of whether anemia is present.