Urrechaga E, et al. - An inquiry was performed of the potential utility of mean reticulocyte hemoglobin content (MCHr) in the analysis of the erythropoiesis status in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the case of anemic outpatients. Serum iron, transferrin and ferritin were tested. Findings disclosed that 47.6% of the patients had iron deficiency anemia (IDA) and 31.5% anemia of chronic disease (ACD), while the others (20.9%) presented with mixed anemia. Individuals with ACD or mixed anemia illustrated functional iron deficiency: Normal or high ferritin and low MCHr. It was deduced that MCHr yielded information on iron availability in IBD patients and served as a reliable test for determining the iron supply for erythropoiesis.