Children often have to donate blood for analysis. This is important, since the cellular composition of the blood is quite constant and its various changes, during any disease, have a significant diagnostic value.
What does the hematocrit show?
It is known that human blood consists of uniform elements - erythrocytes, leukocytes and platelets. Therefore, in the list of a common blood test there is such an important indicator as hematocrit. It shows the level of erythrocytes in the blood of the child, because they make up the bulk of the cellular components. Typically, the hematocrit number is expressed as a percentage of the total volume of blood.
How is the hematocrit calculated?
In a special glass tube with the price of division, which is also called hematocrit, pour a small amount of blood. After that, it is placed in a centrifuge. Under the action of gravity, the erythrocytes quickly settle to the bottom, after which it is easy enough to determine what part of the blood they make up. It should be noted that automatic analyzers have become increasingly used in modern clinical laboratories to determine the hematocrit number.
Hematocrit is the norm in children
In children, the norm of this value depends on age:
- newborn child - 44-62%;
- from birth to 3 months - 32-44%;
- from 3 months to 1 year - 36-44%;
- from 1 year to 10 years - 37-44%.
Hematocrit is lower in the child - the cause
Based on the definition, we can assume that the value of the hematocrit decreases with a decrease in the number of erythrocytes in the blood of the child. The hematocrit is considered to be reduced at 20-25% and this may be facilitated by the presence of some problems:
- delayed formation of erythrocytes in the bone marrow;
- an increase in the rate of destruction of erythrocytes in the blood;
- increased blood volume in the child;
- increase in the concentration of proteins in the blood (hyperproteinemia);
- blood thinning (hyperhydration);
- acute bleeding;
- anemia.
It should be noted that a single indicator of low hematocrit can not accurately talk about the presence of any problems in the child's body. For a more accurate picture, this indicator in a general blood test is combined with the level of hemoglobin. But nevertheless, in order to make an accurate diagnosis, in any case, it is necessary to conduct a more thorough examination and determine what triggered a drop in the number of red blood cells in the blood.