A Hematocrit, or HCT, is a simple blood test done to determine the proportion of cells and fluid in the blood.

A low hematocrit may indicate the presence of one or more of these:

• anemia (various types)
• blood loss (hemmorrhage)
• bone marrow failure (for example, due to radiation, toxin, fibrosis, or tumor)
• hemolysis (red blood cell destruction) related to transfusion reaction.
• leukemia
• malnutrition or specific nutritional deficiency
• multiple myeloma
• overhydration
• rheumatoid arthritis

A high HCT may indicate the presence of one or more of these:

• dehydration, especially due to burns or diarrhea
• eclampsia
• erythrocytosis (excessive red blood cell production)
• polycythemia vera
• shock

Much of this information came from http://webmd.lycos.com/content/asset/adam_test_hct This node is for informational purposes only and should not be used for diagnosis.

1. The percent of red blood cells in a given volume of whole blood.
2. An obsolete laboratory device which was used to isolate the cells and other particles in whole blood from the blood plasma.

From the BioTech Dictionary at http://biotech.icmb.utexas.edu/. For further information see the BioTech homenode.