By using coil planet centrifuge system, and Couter counter model ZBI and channelyzer, hemolysis end points (HEP) and mean cell volume (MCV) of erythrocytes were studied in patients with iron deficiency anemia, liver diseases, and advanced gastric cancer to determine whether the apparent association between HEP and MCV might be present. There was a positive correlation between HEP and MCV in patients with iron deficiency anemia. On the other hand, there was a negative correlation between them in patients with liver diseases. However, there was no significant correlation between them in patients with advanced gastric cancer. A significant positive correlation was observed between HEP and either free cholesterol or cholesterol/phospholipid in them. A significant negative correlation was also observed betweem HEP and fibrinogen. Furthermore, there was a significant positive correlation between MCV and serum Fe. The shift of HEP might be closely correlated to the changes of MCV. However, the shift of HEP was not always due to the changes of MCV, and many mechanisms to induce the change should be sought.
