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Hematocrit levels that are too high or too low can indicate a blood disorder, dehydration, or other medical conditions. [4] An abnormally low hematocrit may suggest anemia, a decrease in the total amount of red blood cells, while an abnormally high hematocrit is called polycythemia. [5] Both are potentially life-threatening disorders.
Polycythemia is defined as serum hematocrit (Hct) or hemoglobin (HgB) exceeding normal ranges expected for age and sex, typically Hct >49% in healthy adult men and >48% in women, or HgB >16.5 g/dL in men or >16.0 g/dL in women. [8]
The first is a very high red blood cell count, which is usually identified by elevated levels of hemoglobin or hematocrit; A bone marrow biopsy that shows hypercellularity and abnormalities in megakaryocytes; and; The presence of a mutation in the Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) gene.
[2] [3] However, it can include decreased oxygen-binding ability of each hemoglobin molecule due to deformity or lack in numerical development as in some other types of hemoglobin deficiency. [citation needed] Anemia is the most common disorder of the blood. There are several kinds of anemia, produced by a variety of underlying causes.
Iron is an essential part of hemoglobin, and low iron levels result in decreased incorporation of hemoglobin into red blood cells. In the United States, 12% of all women of childbearing age have iron deficiency, compared with only 2% of adult men. The incidence is as high as 20% among African American and Mexican American women. [75]
One unit increase in hematocrit can cause up to a 4% increase in blood viscosity. [2] This relationship becomes increasingly sensitive as hematocrit increases. When the hematocrit rises to 60 or 70%, which it often does in polycythemia , [ 4 ] the blood viscosity can become as great as 10 times that of water, and its flow through blood vessels ...