Getting your blood drawn can be uncomfortable, but most people only feel a light prick when the needle inserts the vein.
What to expect during a hematocrit testĭuring a hematocrit test, you can expect to have a sample of blood taken by a phlebotomist or another healthcare professional who can draw blood.
Too many or too few red blood cells can indicate certain nutritional deficiencies or diseases that doctors will know how to identify. Hematocrit tests are important because they measure how many red blood cells someone has. Hematocrit tests, which are sometimes called packed cell volume tests (PCV), can also help tell doctors whether someone has other nutritional deficiencies or health problems such as leukemia, kidney disease, or arthritis. Your doctor may ask you to get a hematocrit test done if you have any of those symptoms. Symptoms of anemia include tiredness, grumpiness, heavy menstrual periods, cold hands and feet, and poor concentration. Hematocrit tests can tell doctors if someone is anemic, which is one of the most common reasons for ordering the test. It’s important because the body can’t get enough oxygen to function properly without it, says Susan Besser, MD, a family practitioner at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland. Hematocrit helps measure hemoglobin, which is what’s found in oxygen-carrying red blood cells. If a person has a hematocrit of 40%, this means that he or she has 40 milliliters of red blood cells in 100 milliliters of blood.ĭoctors will ask someone to get a hematocrit test as part of a complete blood count (CBC) to see how well they’re responding to a certain treatment and/or to see if they have any underlying health problems. The test measures by volume but is then expressed as a percentage. The hematocrit (hct) is a measurement of how much of someone’s blood is made up of red blood cells.
Everyone’s blood is made up of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Hematocrit is a measurement of the size and number of red blood cells that someone has. This article describes what hematocrit tests are and helps explain what your hematocrit levels mean. A hematocrit test is a type of blood test that can detect anemia and other health conditions, which will help your healthcare provider to properly diagnose and treat you. If you’re showing signs of being anemic (which could include fatigue, grumpiness, headaches, or heavy menstrual cycles), your doctor might want to do bloodwork.