🩸 Microcytic Anemia Differential (MCV/Hemoglobin) Simulator

Reading the Serial MCV and Hemoglobin Trend

Placeholder: falling MCV over time signals developing microcytosis.

• 80–100 fL: Normal MCV (Placeholder reference range)
• <80 fL: Microcytic threshold (Placeholder cutoff)
• 3–6 mo: Hgb trend window (Placeholder monitoring interval)
• High: Trend sensitivity (Placeholder trend note)

Why trend beats a single value

Placeholder: a single MCV can miss early drift; trend lines catch it sooner.

Ferritin as an Iron Store Marker

Placeholder: low ferritin indicates depleted iron stores.

• <30 ng/mL: Low ferritin (Placeholder iron-deficient cutoff)
• 30–200 ng/mL: Normal range (Placeholder reference band)
• 2–3×: Acute phase rise (Placeholder inflammation effect)
• High: Diagnostic weight (Placeholder utility note)

Ferritin pitfalls in inflammation

Placeholder: ferritin rises as an acute phase reactant, masking true deficiency.

TIBC and Transferrin Saturation Interpretation

Placeholder: TIBC rises in iron deficiency and falls in chronic disease.

• 250–400 µg/dL: Normal TIBC (Placeholder reference range)
• >400 µg/dL: High TIBC pattern (Placeholder iron-deficient signal)
• <15%: Transferrin sat. (Placeholder deficiency marker)
• Low/normal: ACD TIBC (Placeholder chronic disease pattern)

Combining TIBC with ferritin

Placeholder: paired interpretation of TIBC and ferritin sharpens the differential.

Splitting Iron Deficiency from Thalassemia Trait

Placeholder: normal iron studies with microcytosis suggest thalassemia.

• <13: Mentzer index (Placeholder thalassemia hint)
• Normal: RDW (Placeholder thalassemia feature)
• Normal: Iron studies (Placeholder thalassemia pattern)
• Hgb electrophoresis: Confirmation test (Placeholder next step)

When to order hemoglobin electrophoresis

Placeholder: order electrophoresis when iron studies are normal but MCV stays low.

Placeholder: disproportionately low MCV relative to anemia severity flags thalassemia.

Recognizing the Anemia of Chronic Disease Pattern

Placeholder: high ferritin with low TIBC reflects iron sequestration.

• Normal/high: Ferritin (Placeholder ACD pattern)
• Low: TIBC (Placeholder ACD pattern)
• Elevated: Hepcidin (Placeholder mediator)
• Mild low/normal: MCV (Placeholder severity note)

Hepcidin-driven iron sequestration

Placeholder: inflammation raises hepcidin, trapping iron in stores.