Macrocytic red blood cells are characterized by which description?

Macrocytic red blood cells are characterized by which description?

• A. Normal size
• B. Larger than usual RBCs
• C. Fewer RBCs
• D. Smaller than usual RBCs

Answer: (B)

Macrocytic red blood cells are enlarged compared with normal red blood cells. That makes the description of larger than usual RBCs the best fit. This enlargement happens when red blood cell maturation is abnormal, often tied to impaired DNA synthesis from B12 or folate deficiency, liver disease, or reticulocytosis, which raises the mean corpuscular volume. In labs you’d see an elevated MCV with macrocytosis. The other possibilities describe normal size (normocytosis), a reduced number of cells (anemia in general, not size), or smaller size (microcytosis), which do not match macrocytosis.

Macrocytic red blood cells are enlarged compared with normal red blood cells. That makes the description of larger than usual RBCs the best fit. This enlargement happens when red blood cell maturation is abnormal, often tied to impaired DNA synthesis from B12 or folate deficiency, liver disease, or reticulocytosis, which raises the mean corpuscular volume. In labs you’d see an elevated MCV with macrocytosis. The other possibilities describe normal size (normocytosis), a reduced number of cells (anemia in general, not size), or smaller size (microcytosis), which do not match macrocytosis.