Hematocrit (HCT)

Percentage of blood volume occupied by red blood cells. Moves in parallel with hemoglobin.

Units

Reference (Male)

41 – 53 %

Reference (Female)

36 – 46 %

Aliases

PCV, Packed Cell Volume

What it measures

Percentage of blood volume occupied by red blood cells. Moves in parallel with hemoglobin.

What a high value can mean

Dehydration, polycythemia vera, chronic hypoxia, anabolic steroid use.

What a low value can mean

Anemia, recent blood loss, overhydration, bone marrow suppression.

Conditions it helps assess

Hydration status
Anemia
Polycythemia

Reading these numbers in context

Reference ranges describe the central 95 % of a healthy reference population — 5 % of perfectly healthy people fall outside any given range by definition. A single mildly abnormal value is rarely meaningful on its own. blood-test.life always interprets values together with related biomarkers before flagging.

Related biomarkers in Complete Blood Count (CBC)

Hemoglobin HGB Oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells. Low hemoglobin is the defining marker of anemia. White Blood Cell Count WBC Total count of infection-fighting white cells. Subtypes (neutrophils, lymphocytes) carry far more diagnostic weight. Platelets PLT Cell fragments responsible for blood clotting. Critical for bleeding-risk assessment. Mean Corpuscular Volume MCV Average size of red blood cells. Categorizes anemia as microcytic, normocytic, or macrocytic.