This is to ensure that the donor has adequate red blood cell levels to donate blood. Blood donors must have a minimum of There are separate requirements for the red cell-only donation known as Power Red. Recent studies show that there is a need for blood transfusions every 2 seconds. Blood donations can help trauma patients, cancer patients, people with chronic illnesses, and more.
What Does Hematocrit Mean? What Is a Hematocrit Level? Phlebotomy bloodletting is a popular way to control high red blood cell counts. In phlebotomy, blood is taken from the veins to make it thinner.
Get the SingleCare prescription discount card. People with extremely low red blood cell counts may need to go to the doctor to get intravenous iron or blood transfusions. Some lifestyle changes can help increase red blood cell counts.
Eating a variety of fresh, healthy foods that contain iron, vitamin B, and folic acid can prevent anemia. Taking these nutrients in supplement form can also be beneficial. The best way to learn more about how to treat low or high hematocrit levels is to talk with your doctor or healthcare provider.
Skip to main content Search for a topic or drug. What do your hematocrit test results mean? By SingleCare Team May. Davis, MD. Hematocrit HCT is the calculated volume percentage of red blood cells erythrocytes in your blood. Hematocrit is also called packed cell volume PCV or erythrocyte volume fraction. Human blood contains red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets suspended in a liquid called plasma.
The word hematocrit means to separate blood. In a hematocrit test, the red blood cells are separated from the rest of your blood cells and plasma. Hematocrit is important because red blood cells are essential to your survival. They contain a vital protein component called hemoglobin that binds to oxygen, which fuels all the cells in your body. When red blood cells pass through your lungs, they bind to and transport oxygen to various cells in your body.
On their way back to your lungs, they carry carbon dioxide to be exhaled. Hematocrit is a significant measurement as it can identify whether you have sufficient red blood cells for oxygen transportation and delivery.
If your doctor suspects that you have a blood disorder such as anemia or polycythemia too many red blood cells , your doctor may order a hematocrit test to check your red blood cells. The original method for hematocrit measurement is the macrohematocrit Wintrobe hematocrit tube method.
When the lungs cannot absorb oxygen effectively and oxygen levels drop, the body compensates by making more red blood cells. One common pulmonary disease causing this is COPD.
Learn more about COPD here. To try and overcome the oxygen deficit the body produces more red blood cells. Learn more about heart disease here. Sometimes kidney cancer cells create more erythropoietin. Erythropoietin is a hormone that tells the bone marrow to create more red blood cells. Learn more about kidney cancer here. The JAK2 gene , which controls the number of blood cells made in the bone marrow, can affect certain conditions.
When someone has a mutated JAK2 gene, the body could make a protein that signals the bone marrow to create more red blood cells than it needs. Learn more about genetic disorders here. A person should speak with a doctor if they are experiencing any of the symptoms listed above that could be a sign of high or low hematocrit levels, including fatigue, weakness, vision problems, and dizziness.
These symptoms can also indicate an underlying condition, so it is important that a person contact a doctor in a timely manner to prevent future complications.
If a person is receiving chemotherapy treatment, a doctor should perform regular hematocrit tests to monitor bone marrow health. A low hematocrit level means the are too few red blood cells in the body. In these cases, a person may experience symptoms that signal anemia. Common symptoms include fatigue, weakness, and low energy. If a person has too many red blood cells, they have a high hematocrit level. A person may experience dizziness and headaches, which can be a sign of the condition polycythemia.
For example, males tend to have higher levels than females. Pregnant individuals can experience a decrease in hematocrit levels, and strength training may also reduce levels.
There are also a number of health conditions that can cause hematocrit levels outside the normal range. Excessive bleeding, thalassemia, and kidney disease are causes of low levels. COPD and sickle cell anemia can cause high levels. Nutritional-deficiency anemia happens when the body does not get enough iron or a few other nutrients from the diet.
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