Low MCV 5 month old baby boy

Hello,

Maybe someone can help me. when my son was five months old I  took him to ER as he had a mild fever and swine flu was spreading at that time. His fever went away after 12 hrs.
But he had low MCV(70) and low MCH (22.2) and rest everything else was normal.
His Hgb was 11.8 He was exclusively Breastfed. Doctor asked me have I heard about Thalassemia,
I had no idea what that was. After reading on the internet I am amazed to see the number of people who carry the trait.
Then I checked my cbc's and my husband's CBC's
Over the period of past few years my MCV's have ranged from 83 to 86.7
my husband's from 83.5 to 87.
My Hgb is usually 14.00
and his is 14.7

My son was born 3 weeks before due date.
His pediatrician is not at all concerned with the reports.
He says its normal.
His newborn screening was normal.
We live in Minnesota.

Should I be worried ??
What should I make of his MCV and MCH?

Now my baby boy is 7.5 months old and is reaching all his milestones way ahead of time.

somebody please help me.
should I go for further testing for my baby boy ?
I am very new to all this .....
His newborn screeing was completely normal .
I do not have the reports with me.
Can my husband or me be beta thal minors
though we had normal hgb and mcv ...
somebody please answer my question ?

hi amber... hows r u doing.... me atiya khan patient of thalasemia intermedia...can u speak urdu?

Hi Amber,

You and your husband both have normal Hb and MCV, so either your child is not thal minor or he is a silent trait carrier, which would mean one of the parents is also a silent trait carrier. I think it is more likely that the low MCV was caused by something else like iron deficient anemia or the illness and is not any cause to worry. I would suggest having him tested again at around 9 months to see if his MCV has risen.

If your son is a thal minor, please don't worry. Most minors have no problems and since both parents have normal hemoglobin levels, you can expect your child to be the same as the parents. His only real concern if he is a minor would come later in life when he decides to be a parent. If he is a minor, his partner should also be checked for thal carrier state to make sure there is no chance of producing a thal major.

Please let us know what further testing reveals. I will be surprised if thalassemia is involved.

Thanks a lot for putting my mind at peace. My heart goes out to other parents ,
after reading so many posts here , I am so moved. So much awareness and education is needed.


Yes Atiya I can speak urdu ! (Main urdu bol sakti hoon)

Thanks,
Amber

Hi Amber,

I just finished going through an article that showed that in breastfed babies, it is often seen that babies will show signs of iron deficiency during the first six months (low MCV) but that it does not mean there is any problem at all, including iron deficiency, so it is best to wait until the baby is a bit older before drawing any conclusions. My guess is that there is neither thal trait or iron deficiency present. Have his blood checked again at nine months to see if the values have changed.