If a patient has increased polychromasia, what additional finding may be expected on the CBC?

Increased polychromasia indicates a higher than normal presence of reticulocytes in the bloodstream, which are immature red blood cells. This is typically a response to anemia or blood loss, as the body attempts to produce more red blood cells to compensate for the deficit.

When polychromasia is noted, one can expect an increase in the mean corpuscular volume (MCV). This occurs because the reticulocytes are larger than mature erythrocytes. As the body ramp ups production of red blood cells in response to a problem, these younger, larger cells increase the overall volume of red blood cells measured, thereby elevating the MCV on a complete blood count (CBC) test.

In contrast, while increased platelets, hematocrit (Hct), or red blood cell count might also present in certain contexts related to anemia, they do not specifically correlate with the presence of polychromasia in the same direct manner as an increase in MCV.