Hematocrit

Hematocrit is a test that measures the percentage of blood that is comprised of red blood cells and evaluates dehydration, polycythemia, response to anemia treatment, effectivity of blood transfusions and anemia.



The hematocrit indicates the proportion of cells and fluids in the blood and is a part of the complete blood count test.

No special preparation is necessary for this test.Blood for hematocrit may be collected either by finger prick, or sticking a needle into a vein, called venipuncture. When performing a finger puncture, the first drop of blood should be wiped away, as it dilutes the sample with tissue fluid. A nurse collects the sample following cleaning and disinfecting the skin at the needle prick site.

Fluid volume in the blood affects hematocrit values. Hematocrit decreases in pregnancy, due to the extra fluid. The blood sample should not be taken from an arm of a patient receiving IV fluid or during hemolysis. In addition, certain drugs such as penicillin and chloramphenicol decreases the hematocrit, while glucose levels above 400 mg/dl are known to elevate results. Decrease in the size or quantity of red blood cells reduces the space occupied, thereby resulting in a higher hematocrit.

Blood is made up of red blood cells, white blood cells (WBCs), platelets, and plasma. A decrease in the number or size of red cells also decreases the amount of space they occupy, resulting in low hematocrit.



Dehydration concentrates the blood, which increases the hematocrit. Thalassemia minor is an exception in that it usually causes an increase in the number of red blood cells, but because they are small, it results in a decreased hematocrit.

Normal values vary with age and sex being 42—60% at birth, 42-52% in adult males, 33-40% in six to 12 months and 35-47% in adult females. Decreased hematocrit indicates iron deficiency anemianor other deficiencies. Other conditions that can result in a low hematocrit include mineral or vitamin deficiencies, liver cirrhosis, recent bleeding, and malignancies. The most common cause of increased hematocrit is dehydration and adequate fluid intake brings back the hematocrit to normal.

However, it may reflect a condition called polycythemia vera, a person has more than the normal number of red blood cells due to bone marrow problem or as compensation for inadequate lung function. Living at high altitudes causes increased hematocrit values, the body’s response to the decreased oxygen available at these heights. Consistently high values demand the guidance of a physician.

Understanding the workings of the human body is a very important part of taking appropriate and proper care of it. Because of the fact that a lot of us lead very hectic and packed lifestyles, it is not uncommon for a number of people to be unaware of the effect that certain lifestyles they lead have on their bodies.



The human body is full of chemical compositions that play a huge role in our attitudes, energy levels as well as performances and understanding the best way to tune the body will help you achieve a body that is not only ready to perform certain tasks, but has the endurance to perform the same task on a regular basis as well. Hematocrit levels are a proportion by volume of the blood that consists of red blood cells. A simple example of how Hematocrit levels are declared will mean that a report showing hematocrit levels of about 25% indicating that there are 25 milliliters of red blood cell in a portion of 100 milliliters of blood. The measurement of hematocrit levels is performed by a blood sample being fed into an automated machine that will also analyze the blood sample and make a number of other measurements at the same time as well. Another method of measuring the hematocrit levels is to use centrifuge. When a tube of blood has been centrifuged, the red blood cells will converge to the bottom of the tube – allowing the analyst to visibly measure the ratio of red blood cells in a portion of blood.

Hematocrit and hemoglobin levels in dehydration and anemia will depend on a number of factors affecting the individual. Before getting into the details of the hemoglobin and hematocrit levels, it is important to have an idea of what levels are considered to be normal hematocrit levels.



There are a number of factors that influence the hematocrit normal range in a person. Chief amongst them are the age and sex of the individual. To elaborate, a newborn child will show about 55% to 68% hematocrit levels while a child that is a week old will show hematocrit levels of about 47% to 65%. The children between the age of a month to three months will reflect normal hematocrit levels of between 30% to 36% while a child of ten years of age will show different normal hematocrit count. Adult males and adult women will show normal hematocrit levels of between 42% to 54% and 38% to 46% respectively. Low hematocrit levels or levels below normal are indicative of certain medical conditions affecting the body. For instance, anemia is one of the most common conditions that are diagnosed if a person is detected with low hemoglobin and hematocrit levels. Hematocrit levels and could be influenced by the loss of blood, nutritional deficiency as well as problems affecting the bone marrow and its production.



High hematocrit levels are also a very common occurrence and can usually be the result of individuals living in high altitudes as well as people that have an addiction to chronic smoking. High hematocrit and hemoglobin levels are also experienced in dehydration for a particular time as the body attempts to deal with the demands of the human body during a lack of appropriate distribution.

Anti doping agencies in the sports fields will regularly carry out drug abuse tests in order to identify athletes that are using performance enhancing drugs as well as other means of gaining an unfair advantage. These tests will show up elevated hematocrit values that, in turn, are indicative of the presence of some kind of performance enhancing drugs.

The hematocrit test is a blood test used to identify the hematocrit levels is performed in the very same method as any other blood test. No specific preparation is ready prior to the commencement of the test and the test can be carried out in a doctor’s clinic itself and does not require the admission into a hospital. The doctor or presiding nurse will ask you to be seated or lie down on an examination table and then tie a tourniquet over the upper part of the arm. This will restrict some of the blood from flowing freely and cause the vein to swell up.



This makes it easier for the doctor to insert the syringe into the vein and extract the blood. Once the vein has swollen, the doctor will insert a syringe that is connected to a vial that will serve to collect the sample of blood. Once the required amount of blood has been collected, the syringe is withdrawn from the vein and a piece of cotton is placed on the puncture site and pressed downwards in order to restrict the flow of blood. The blood sample will then be sent to the laboratory for analysis and the doctor will then have a look at the report that details the composition of the blood. This report will inform the doctor not only about the hematocrit levels, but also details of other concentrations in the blood – allowing for in depth analysis with regards to the conditions that might be affecting the body.

One aspect of hematocrit levels that one should be aware about is the fact that the way a person responds to low hematocrit levels will depend significantly on whether the blood loss is acute or chronic. Individuals that have suffered a sudden and serious loss of blood – usually as a result of a hemorrhage, the individual may even develop some symptoms and signs of circulatory shock – characterized by the sudden fall in blood pressure and cause the patient to show signs of tissue hypoxia and shock. Whenever packed red blood cells are administered to the patient in the treatment of the condition, the hematocrit levels will rise about 3% for each unit that is transfused. Another very common cause of decreased hematocrit levels is over hydration as it lowers the percentage of red blood cells in co-relation to the liquid plasma make up of the blood.