Hematocrit
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Hematocrit
Hematocrit is a measure of how much space (volume) the red blood cells take up in the blood. A hematocrit check is often used to test for anemia, which is a decrease in the amount of oxygen-carrying substance (hemoglobin) found in red blood cells.
The hematocrit value may be given as a percentage of red blood cells in a volume of blood. For example, a hematocrit of 33 means that 33% of the blood's volume is composed of red cells. It may also be measured in milliliters per deciliter (mL/dL) of blood.
Credits
| Author | Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS |
| Editor | Maria Essig |
| Associate Editor | Tracy Landauer |
| Primary Medical Reviewer | Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine |
| Specialist Medical Reviewer | Joseph O'Donnell, MD - Hematology/Oncology |
| Last Updated | September 12, 2008 |
| Last updated: | September 12, 2008 |
|---|---|
| Author: | Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS |
| Reviewed By: | Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine, Joseph O'Donnell, MD - Hematology/Oncology |
| Editors: | Maria Essig, Tracy Landauer |
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