Print OverviewA hematocrit (he-MAT-uh-krit) test measures the proportion of red blood cells in your blood. Red blood cells carry oxygen throughout your body. Having too few or too many red blood cells can be a sign of certain diseases. The hematocrit test, also known as a packed-cell volume (PCV) test, is a simple blood test.Products & ServicesSign up for Email: Get Your Free Resource – Coping with Cancer Why it's doneA hematocrit test is part of a complete blood count (CBC). Measuring the proportion of red blood cells in your blood can help your doctor make a diagnosis or monitor your response to a treatment. A lower than normal hematocrit can indicate: An insufficient supply of healthy red blood cells (anemia) A large number of white blood cells due to long-term illness, infection or a white blood cell disorder such as leukemia or lymphoma Vitamin or mineral deficiencies Recent or long-term blood loss A higher than normal hematocrit can indicate: Dehydration A disorder, such as polycythemia vera, that causes your body to produce too many red blood cells Lung or heart disease More InformationIron deficiency anemia Request an appointment There is a problem with information submitted for this request. Review/update the information highlighted below and resubmit the form. From Mayo Clinic to your inbox Sign up for free, and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips and current health topics, like COVID-19, plus expertise on managing health. Click here for an email preview. 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Sorry something went wrong with your subscription Please, try again in a couple of minutes Retry How you prepareThe hematocrit is a simple blood test. You won't need to fast before the test or make other preparations. What you can expectThe blood sample is generally drawn with a needle from a vein in your arm. You may feel some tenderness at the site, but you'll be able to resume normal activities afterward. ResultsResults from your hematocrit test are reported as the percentage of your blood volume that's composed of red blood cells. Normal ranges vary substantially with race, age and sex. The definition of normal red-blood cell percentage also varies from one medical practice to another. Generally, a normal range is considered to be: For men, 38.3 to 48.6 percent For women, 35.5 to 44.9 percent For children ages 17 and younger, the normal range varies by age and sex. Your hematocrit test provides just one piece of information about your health. Talk to your doctor about what your hematocrit test result means in light of the symptoms you're experiencing and the results of other diagnostic tests. Accuracy of test resultsA number of factors can affect the outcome of a hematocrit test and yield inaccurate or misleading results, including: Living at a high altitude Pregnancy Significant recent blood loss Recent blood transfusion Severe dehydration Your doctor will take into account possible complicating factors when interpreting the results of your hematocrit test. Your doctor may want to repeat the hematocrit test and do other blood tests if results provide conflicting or unexpected information. By Mayo Clinic Staff Request an appointment Dec. 14, 2021 Print Share on: FacebookTwitter Show references Sandoval C. Approach to the child with anemia. http://www.uptodate.com/home. Accessed March 24, 2016. Schrier SL. Approach to the adult patient with anemia. http://www.uptodate.com/home. Accessed March 24, 2016. Types of blood tests. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/bdt/types. Accessed March 24, 2016. Tefferi A. Diagnostic approach to the patient with polycythemia. http://www.uptodate.com/home. Accessed March 24, 2016. Hoffman R, et al. The polycythemias. In: Hematology: Basic Principles and Practice. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2013. http://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed March 24, 2016. CBC with differential, blood. Mayo Medical Laboratories. http://www.mayomedicallaboratories.com/test-catalog/Clinical+and+Interpretive/9109. Accessed March 24, 2016. Related Iron deficiency anemia Products & Services Sign up for Email: Get Your Free Resource – Coping with Cancer Hematocrit testAbout Advertisement Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. 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There is a problem with information submitted for this request. Review/update the information highlighted below and resubmit the form. From Mayo Clinic to your inbox Sign up for free, and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips and current health topics, like COVID-19, plus expertise on managing health. Click here for an email preview. Email ErrorEmail field is required ErrorInclude a valid email address Learn more about Mayo Clinic’s use of data. To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of that information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices. You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail. Subscribe! Thank you for subscribing! You'll soon start receiving the latest Mayo Clinic health information you requested in your inbox. Sorry something went wrong with your subscription Please, try again in a couple of minutes Retry