A patient presents with an Hct of 30%, hemoglobin of 8 g/dL, and an RBC count of 4.0 × 10^12/L. What is the morphological classification of this anemia?

In assessing the morphological classification of anemia, several factors such as hemoglobin concentration, hematocrit, and red blood cell (RBC) size need to be taken into account. In this scenario, the key metrics indicate that the hemoglobin is low at 8 g/dL and the hematocrit is also down to 30%, which suggests a significant deficiency in red blood cells.

The RBC count is measured at 4.0 × 10^12/L, which is within the normal range for most adults but in the context of the low hemoglobin and hematocrit, this indicates a morphological consideration of the size of the RBCs themselves. Microcytic anemia generally refers to red blood cells that are smaller than average, often seen in conditions like iron deficiency anemia. Hypochromic refers to the pale appearance of the cells, indicating a reduced hemoglobin content which is consistent with iron deficiency.

In this case, the hemoglobin and hematocrit values suggest that there are not enough red blood cells to meet the physiological demand, while the average size of the red blood cells is small and they have a low hemoglobin concentration. The combination of these characteristics aligns with microcytic hypochromic anemia, which is typically associated