Anemia – Types and Blood Tests
Wojciech Wiśniewski
2026-03-23
3 min. read
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Blood deficiency, also known as anemia, is a condition that pertains to irregularities in peripheral blood parameters, specifically a lack of erythrocytes, the red blood cells responsible for the transport of breathing gases, or the concentration of the colorant erythrocyte hemoglobin. The appropriate number of erythrocytes in women should be 3.9-5.6M/µl, and in men - 4.5-6.5 M/µl, while the reference value of hemoglobin concentration in red blood cells should be within the range of approximately 32-36 g/dl.
Types of anemia
Erythrocytes do not have enough hemoglobin (i.e. iron is part of the pigment), so they are understaffed. Additionally, blood cells are characterized by a smaller size, plasma composition and tissue are characterised by a decrease in the amount of iron in the diet or an adequate amount of the intake of iron, but there is a low concentration of hemoglobin in the blood. However, low blood plasma levels occur most frequently in people who avoid high blood pressure, which is the main source of blood pressure in the body after pregnancy.
Laboratory blood analysis for the diagnostic assessment of anemia
To accurately identify the presence of anemia, a comprehensive evaluation of complete blood count parameters is essential, with particular emphasis on **hematocrit**—the proportion of packed cellular components (including erythrocytes, platelets, and leukocytes) relative to the total volume of peripheral blood. Equally critical are indices such as **MCV** (mean corpuscular volume, reflecting average red blood cell size), **MCH** (mean corpuscular hemoglobin, indicating the average hemoglobin content per erythrocyte), and **MCHC** (mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, representing hemoglobin density within red blood cells). Additionally, the assessment must include levels of key nutritional factors, specifically **vitamin B9 (folate)** and **vitamin B12 (cobalamin)**, deficiencies of which are strongly associated with impaired erythropoiesis. Further diagnostic clarity is provided by measuring **ferritin** (a marker of iron storage) and **transferrin** (an iron-transport protein). Complementary evaluations should also encompass **bilirubin** levels in blood—a byproduct of hemoglobin breakdown—as well as **urobilinogen** in urine, both of which may signal accelerated erythrocyte destruction.