HEMATOCRIT: It is the ratio of the volume of
Red Blood Cells to the Total Volume of Blood.
- Normal Range: Men - 47% to 50%, Women - 42% to 45%
- It depends on rate of production of Red Blood Cells and Volume
of fluid in the body.
- Higher the Hematocrit,more the number of Red Blood Cells and
Oxygen.
Men tend to have a higher hematocrit number because the harmone
TESTOSTERONE causes the kidney to produce more of
the harmone ERYTHROPOIETIN, which in turn
increases erythropoiesis.
- Testosterone is higher in males and is primary androgen in
males which has excitatory or stimulating effect on the kidney to
release Erythropoietin which is the harmone responsible for the
Erythropoiesis( A process for production of Red Blood
Cells).Erythropoiesis increases the number of Red Blood Cells which
leads to increase in Hematocrit Value.
- Females have Estrogen and progesterone as their primary sex
harmones where estrogen has inhibitory effect on kidney to release
Erythropoietin which leads to decrease in production of Red Blood
Cells which leads to decrease in Hematocrit Value