Red Blood Cells (RBCs) also called Erythrocytes are cellular component of blood, carrying oxygen from the lungs to the body tissues. The RBCs are small, round and biconcave cells covered with a membrane composed of lipids and proteins, lacks a nucleus and contains hemoglobin, a red iron-rich protein that binds oxygen. The RBCs are flexible cells capable to pass through extremely small blood vessels (capillary).
Red Blood Cells parameters are assessed by a CBC test and include: RBC count (RBC # %), Hematocrit (HCT) determination (RBC ratio in blood), amounts of hemoglobin (HGB, MCH, MCHC), average size of RBC (MCV), size variability of RBC (RDW-CV/SD).