Which statement about normocytic red blood cells is true?

Which statement about normocytic red blood cells is true?

• A. They have decreased hemoglobin content
• B. They are larger than normal
• C. They are smaller than normal
• D. Normal size

Answer: (D)

Normocytic means the red blood cells are of normal size, as reflected by a normal mean corpuscular volume (MCV). In RBC classification, sizes are grouped as microcytic (smaller than normal), normocytic (normal size), and macrocytic (larger than normal). A normal MCV is about 80–100 fL, so the true statement is that these cells have normal size. The other options describe cells that are too small or too large, or refer to hemoglobin content rather than size (hypochromia), which is not the defining feature of normocytic cells.

Normocytic means the red blood cells are of normal size, as reflected by a normal mean corpuscular volume (MCV). In RBC classification, sizes are grouped as microcytic (smaller than normal), normocytic (normal size), and macrocytic (larger than normal). A normal MCV is about 80–100 fL, so the true statement is that these cells have normal size. The other options describe cells that are too small or too large, or refer to hemoglobin content rather than size (hypochromia), which is not the defining feature of normocytic cells.