What is Mean Corpuscular Volume? I recently had some blood work done, and the doctor said my MCV was elevated, but I don’t know what that is. The Standard range is 80.0-100.0 fl. Mine was 100.7 fl. She said this might be due to a b12 deficiency. Will this Kill me? Will I need medicine for this? Does it go away?
This was a great question. Vitamin b12 deficiencies are actually very common. The Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV) is the average amount of space occupied by a red blood cell. A high MCV can be caused by a b12 deficiency and should be monitored, because b12 deficiencies can cause issues like anemia and depression.
The deficiency is sometimes caused by a drop in your body’s absorption level. B12 is absorbed mostly through the stomach and small intestine. The absorption level can drop after a surgery, ulcer or medication (i.e. heartburn medicine). This means that your body has to intake more b12 to absorb it properly. Most people intake three times the amount of b12 in their daily diet. Foods high in b12 include meats and dairy. This means that vegetarians are at a higher risk of developing a b12 deficiency because they do not eat meat, and vegans are at an even higher risk because they eliminate meats and dairy products from their diets.
To fix this b12 deficiency problem, I suggest talking to your doctor about special vitamin b12 pills. The pills have more b12 than over-the-counter supplements. There is also a b12 shot you can get. Your doctor would be able to help you decide which method would be better. If you are a vegetarian, I would suggest taking supplements to make sure you are receiving your recommended daily intake of b12.
So to answer your questions,
- You will not die. However, you do need to have a doctor check on the situation. If untreated, b12 deficiencies can lead to severe issues with your nervous system and can cause anemia or depression. Do not worry though. Your MCV level is not alarmingly high, but I do suggest keeping an eye on it.
- Discuss with your physician recommendations to improve your b12 level.
- It can go away.
Thank you so much for your question! Please keep me posted! 
Tags: ANEMIA, depression, HEARTBURN, ulcers, Vegetarians, VITAMINS
[...] I recently had some blood work done, and the doctor said my MCV was elevated, but I don’t know what that is. The Standard range is 80.0-100.0 fl. Mine was 100.7 fl. She said this might be due to a b12 deficiency. Will this Kill me? …Next Page [...]