Reticulocyte Count

Reticulocytes are immature red blood cells produced in the bone marrow and released into the peripheral blood where they mature into RBCs within 1 to 2 days. An increase or decrease in reticulocyte count can be an index to measure erythropoietic activity or failure following anaemia, haemorrhage and bone marrow dysfunction. Reticulocyte count is a component of the FBC that measures the compensatory ability of the bone marrow to replenish red cells in circulation. The reticulocyte count is reported as the percentage of reticulocytes divided by the total number of red blood cells x 100. The reference range of the reticulocyte percentage in adults is 0.5% to 2.5% in adults and 2% to 6%.

Reticulocyte count play a role in the diagnosis of the following conditions

Conditions Associated with a high Reticulocyte count

Conditions Associated with a low Reticulocyte count