Mean cell hemoglobin concentration describes how densely hemoglobin is packed into the volume of the red blood cells, rather than how much of it a cell holds in total. It is calculated from hemoglobin and hematocrit and speaks for the quality of hemoglobin filling and, indirectly, for the state of the red cell membrane.
No readings for this marker yet.
Lowered values most often go with iron deficiency and the thalassemia traits, where cells are both small and pale. Genuinely raised values are uncommon and point most often at conditions in which cells lose membrane and become spherical, such as hereditary spherocytosis, or at cold agglutinins in the sample. Because the range of true variation is narrow, a high result is frequently technical, and either direction is a reason to repeat the count and take it to a doctor.
Lipemia after a fatty meal, hemolysis during or after the draw, and cold agglutinins are the classic sources of falsely high readings, and the index is the analyzer's own internal quality check for this reason. It is interpreted next to hemoglobin, hematocrit, MCV and MCH, which together separate a pale small cell from a dense one, and alongside RDW for uniformity.
Reference ranges are general adult values and depend on lab, assay, age and sex. For orientation, not diagnosis — discuss results with your doctor.