Hematocrit and Hemoglobin

The word hematocrit was coined in the year 1903. It comes from the Greek words 'hema' meaning blood and 'krites' meaning to gage or to judge. Hematocrit is known as packed cell volume, and eryhthrocyte volume fraction. This is proportion of blood volume that is occupied by red blood cells, and is considered to be an integral part of a complete cell count.

Hemoglobin is the metalloprotein that is present in red blood cells. Its measurement is an important indicator of the presence or absence of anemia, i.e., a deficiency of hemoglobin or red blood cells or both. Given below are details regarding the levels of hematocrit and hemoglobin and what kind of variations in these levels signify.

The hematocrit in men is generally around 48% whereas it is 38% in females. Give here are details regarding the normal hemoglobin range:

Normal Hemoglobin Levels in Newborn Babies: 17 - 22
Normal Hemoglobin Levels in Children: 11 - 13
Normal Hemoglobin Levels in Adults (Male): 14 - 18
Normal Hemoglobin Levels in Adults (Female): 12 - 16
Normal Hemoglobin Levels in Elderly (Male):12.4 - 14.9
Normal Hemoglobin Levels in Elderly (Female): 11.7 - 13.8

High levels of hematocrit and high hemoglobin levels are seen when there is less of plasma and more of blood cells. This could indicate dengue fever, which is a danger sign of an increased risk of going into dengue shock syndrome.

Also, polycythemia vera, which is a myeloproliferative disorder where the bone marrow produces excessive red blood cells, is associated with elevated hematocrit. Even certain lung diseases like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other pulmonary conditions, which have symptoms like hypoxia, may lead to an increase in the production of red blood cells.

Sometimes, even severe dehydration can lead to a decrease in the levels of plasma, which will result in an increase in the concentration of blood cells.

A low count could be a pointer towards many conditions. One of the most severe of these conditions is hemorrhage. Hemorrhage occurs when there is bleeding, which may be internal or external. Hemorrhage leads to a significant amount of loss of whole blood, which could lead to excess loss of blood cells.

In such cases, finding out the mean corpuscular volume and the red cell distribution width can be helpful in evaluating the results obtained. However, one of the most common inferences of low hematocrit and hemoglobin is anemia. Anemia is a serious condition where the hemoglobin drops to anywhere below 7 mg/dl.

This condition is characterized by symptoms like shortness of breath, sleep apnea, constant fatigue, and weakness, etc. There are many risk groups as far as anemia is concerned. In fact, a lowered hemoglobin and hematocrit during pregnancy is often an indicator of iron deficiency anemia.

This was all about the normal hematocrit and hemoglobin values and what changes in these levels mean. There are many other uses for these measurements as well. The hematocrit of professional athletes is measured as a part of tests for blood doping or erythropoietin use.

The level in a blood sample is compared with long term level for that athlete so that there is a small window for individual variations against an absolute permitted maximum. The maximum expected levels are those that are seen within population including the hematocrit level which causes an increased risk of blood clots resulting in strokes heart attacks.

Disclaimer: This story is for informative purposes only, and should not be used as a replacement for expert medical advice.