Abstract
Background: Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is the most prevalent nutritional disorder worldwide, characterized by reduced hemoglobin synthesis and morphological changes in red blood cells.
Objective: This study examined the correlation between hemoglobin levels and red blood cell (RBC) indices mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) in patients with confirmed IDA.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 100 participants (64 anemic, 36 non-anemic; 65% female, 35% male; age 18–39 years). Venous blood was analyzed using an automated hematology analyzer. Pearson and Spearman correlation analyses were performed on the anemic subgroup.
Results: Mean hemoglobin was 10.87 ± 2.70 g/dL. Positive associations were observed between hemoglobin and all three RBC indices; however, correlations were not statistically significant within the anemic subgroup (p > 0.05). Independent-samples t-test revealed significantly lower MCV, MCH, and MCHC in anemic versus non-anemic participants. Conclusion: RBC indices reliably reflect the microcytic hypochromic pattern of IDA. Though intra-group correlations were modest, MCV, MCH, and MCHC remain clinically valuable, cost-effective markers for diagnosing and monitoring iron deficiency anemia