Macrocytosis

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Macrocytosis is the enlargement of red blood cells with near-constant haemoglobin concentration, and is defined by a mean corpuscular volume (MCV) of greater than 100 femtolitres (the precise criterion varies between laboratories).

Most commonly this etiology is bone marrow dysplasia primary to alcohol abuse. Other causes may include:

• Vitamin B12 or folate deficiency
• hypothyroidism
• Hydroxyurea (patient information)
• reticulocytosis
• liver disease
• myeloproliferative disease

No complications arise from macrocytosis itself and a prognosis will be determined from its aetiology.

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