Normal hematocrit value
Normally, a hematocrit value should be between 37-45% for women and slightly higher for men, namely between 42-50%. It should be noted, however, that these normal values may also vary slightly. There are patients who are completely healthy although their hematocrit value does not quite correspond to the normal range.
On the one hand, this is due to the fact that a normal value always includes only 95% of all patients and that there are always deviations in 5% of the patients which are completely physiological. On the other hand, it is also possible that the hematocrit value changes due to a stay at altitude, since we produce more erythrocytes at altitude, which then leads to an increased hematocrit value. At the same time it is important to note that a normal hematocrit cannot always be set the same way with complete health.
The so-called normochromic, normocytic anaemia is a form of anaemia in which both the erythrocyte content in the blood and the amount of blood are reduced. As a result, the hematocrit value appears completely normal, as only the ratio between erythrocytes and blood volume is given. If both are reduced, however, the hematocrit remains normal, even though it is a pathological anemia.
This can be caused by high blood loss, for example after an accident. Therefore, it is always important to always see the hematocrit in context. If the hematocrit is too high (over 50% in men and over 45% in women), the blood contains too many erythrocytes, i.e. too many oxygen-carrying cells, compared to the blood volume.
This is known as polyglobulia. At the same time, the number of erythrocytes may be normal, but there is a loss of blood plasma, i.e. blood fluid, which leads to the presence of too many cells compared to blood plasma. As already mentioned, the hematocrit value increases especially during longer stays at altitude.
This is due to the fact that for the body the stay at altitude is always associated with maximum effort. In order to provide the tissue with sufficient oxygen, an increased production of erythropoitin, or EPO for short, occurs in the kidney. This EPO stimulates the transformation of undifferentiated stem cells in the bone marrow into erythrocytes, i.e. cells that can transport more oxygen and thus better supply the tissues of our body with oxygen.Especially athletes like to go to high mountains before competitions so that they have more oxygen-transporting cells at their disposal without doping and completely physiologically, which indirectly help the body not to tire so quickly.
With such permitted “doping” the hematocrit value can rise up to 70%, and after returning to normal heights it will also drop rapidly. It is important to know that the increased number of erythrocytes in the blood also makes the blood more viscous and prevents it from flowing as quickly. Although the body can compensate for this to a certain extent with the help of various anticoagulants, there is always an increase in viscosity. This poses the risk of thrombi, which can lead to vascular occlusion and, in the worst case, to pulmonary embolism and the like. In general, it can be said that the hematocrit is always elevated when the body suffers from a lack of oxygen or fluid (dehydration).
