Low Hct, as well as other RBC indices, can also help to determine why the anemia has developed. However, low Hct levels usually show that a person is anemic, and doctors need to diagnose the reasons why not enough oxygen is being delivered in the blood.Īccording to the journal Critical Care Medicine, determining hematocrit and testing hemoglobin levels can help to determine how much anemic a person is. There are various types of anemia and reasons why a person can develop symptoms of anemia.
Let’s look in more detail at the low hematocrit causes and why lab test results for complete blood cell count can show lower than normal Hct readings. This is because there is decreased oxygen concentration in the atmosphere. However, living at high altitudes increases the normal hematocrit range to 61% for males and 56% for females. If you are pregnant, then increased hematocrit is the same as for women who are not pregnant. High Hct levels in CBC test are readings of more than 54% for men and 46% for women. High HCT Levels (Polycythemia)Įlevated hematocrit is rarer than decreased Hct levels and is called polycythemia. Also, people living at higher altitudes are considered to have below normal hematocrit if males have less than 45% and women less than 41% red blood cell volume. 4įor example, pregnant women Hct levels are classed as low if they are below 30%. Charles Patrick Davis on eMedicineHealth, there are other factors like being pregnant and living at high altitude that can affect hematocrit lab test results. Low Hct level is any level below the normal hematocrit range, taking into consideration age and sex.Īccording to Dr. This is as follows: 3įor children who are ten years old, the normal Hct range is the same as that for adult females.ĭepending on which lab carries out the blood tests, the results may differ slightly. Mandy Flannery O’Leary from the Department of Pathology at Louisiana State University explains about the hematocrit normal range. Hemoglobin and hematocrit blood tests are sometimes measured together and provide similar clinical information. Labs tests also have to take into consideration the mean corpuscular volume of your red blood cells.
Hematocrit is a calculation comparing the volume of red blood cells with the total volume of blood.
A lack of hemoglobin in RBCs will mean that a person will show signs and symptoms of anemia. Red blood cells need the protein hemoglobin to deliver oxygen to cells and tissues in the body.
When trying to understand blood test results, many wonder about the difference between hematocrit and hemoglobin.Īccording to the book Clinical Methods, hemoglobin is the protein found in red blood cells. 1Ī hematocrit reading of 50% (which is within the hematocrit normal range) means that 50% of the total blood volume is red blood cells.Ĭhecking for normal hematocrit levels is one of the RBC indices that can help doctors diagnose many health conditions. Doctors can then measure the proportion of red blood cells at the bottom. Another way to check Hct levels is to put blood in a test tube and centrifuge it. Shiel on MedicineNet says that hematocrit levels can be calculated using the average volume of red blood cells and determining the amount of hemoglobin.
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