What is the connection between hemoglobin and hematocrit?
Hemoglobin and Hematocrit are two important components of complete blood numbers, a test that a doctor could order to determine whether there are abnormalities in the patient's blood chemistry. Both "hemoglobin" and "hematocrit" refer to the specific properties of red blood cells, but measure different things. Hemoglobin is an oxygen -binding compound that transports oxygen to cells, and the hemoglobin test measures how much this compound is present. The hematocrit test determines how much of the total blood volume contains red blood cells. Some things may distort measures. For example, an abnormal blood volume due to changes in blood plasma levels will have a strictly dehydrated or fluid patient. Dehydrated patients may have an unusually high hematocritaland because there are more red blood cells as a total percentage of blood volume. If the levels are low, it may indicate that the patient has anemia. Lack of hemoglobin means that the body of the patient will not have enough oxygen. This can lead to the development of fatigue and other pRobblemes, including organ failure, slow wound healing and secondary complications. Patients can also have too much hemoglobin, as seen in conditions such as polycythemia vera.
red blood cells are essentially blood vessels for hemoglobin, so there is a very direct relationship between hemoglobin and hematocrit. Patients with low levels of red blood cells may have low levels of hemoglobin because their bodies do not have enough red blood cells to meet their needs. Equally high level can lead to exception of this compound. Patients who need transfusions to replace lost blood or compensate for low blood cell production can perform hemoglobin and hematocrit tests to determine their basic levels and see how they react well to the transfusion.
Hematocrit values can range from 40-54 percent for men and 36-48 percent for women. In a hemoglobin test andHematocrit will want to know whether the patient is on any medication or uses unusually high or low fluid levels. If the values appear to be unusual, they could be considered as factors before exploring possible diseases that could cause high or low red blood cell concentration.