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Medical Author:

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

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Medical Editor:

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

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Normal values for the hematocrit test vary according to age, sex, pregnancy, altitude where people live, and even vary slightly between various testing methods. The following are reported ranges of normal hematocrit levels:

• Newborns: 55%-68%
• One (1) week of age: 47%-65%
• One (1) month of age: 37%-49%
• Three (3) months of age: 30%-36%
• One (1) year of age: 29%-41%
• Ten (10) years of age: 36%-40%
• Adult males: 42%-54%
• Adult women: 38%-46%
• Adult pregnant women: about 30% - 34% lower limits and 46% upper limits
• High Altitude residents: about 45% - 61% in males; 41% - 56% in females (These levels gradually average higher as the altitude where people live increases. This is a result of the increased demand for the oxygen-carrying capacity of red blood cells at higher altitudes where there is decreased oxygen concentration in the atmosphere.)

These values may vary from authorities in the field by as much as 7%. Consequently, it is best to have a doctor explain the significance of an individual's level of hematocrit if it is not normal.

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