Disturbances of Iron Utilization Diagnosis and Therapy

In patients with disturbances of iron utilization, the individual erythrocyte contains a normal amount of hemoglobin despite the lowering of the patient’s hemoglobin value. MCH and MCV are normal. Iron deficiency is apparently not the problem in this case, but rather the erythrocyte balance between formation and decomposition. This balance is reflected in the reticulocyte count (as a measure of the regeneration of erythropoiesis) with normal reticulocyte values between 5 and 15%.