Hematocrit, from the Greek words hema and krites, which mean blood and judge respectively, is crucial in lab and medical tests because it is a measurement of the proportion of the blood that is in a person's red blood cells. It is otherwise known as the packed cell volume (PCV) or erythrocyte volume fraction (EVF). In a complete blood count or CBC, it is one of the major things that a medical technologist looks into for blood assessment and what-not. The hematocrit level of males and females however, are not the same, as males normally have 48% of hematocrit whereas females have lesser, with 38%.

Measuring the blood's hematocrit is relatively easy. A specialized and automated machine is used to measure a blood sample, measuring the amount of hemoglobin vis-a-vis the red blood cells. This method also includes the measurement of several important aspects of the blood -- but hematocrit can also be manually counted. A centrifuge packs red blood cells in the bottom part of a test tube filled with blood.

The normal hematocrit levels are as follows: three months old is 30 to 36%; one year old is at 29 to 41%; ten years old is at 36 to 40%, adult males have them at 42 to 54%, while adult females have them around 38 to 46%.

If you are within these ranges given your personal data, then your blood count is okay. But if you don't fall on these normal categories, for example if you have low hematocrit, then you need to have yourself checked for possible blood conditions.

A person with low hematocrit is usually diagnosed with anemia. Anemia is a medical condition where there is an abnormal decrease in the average volume of red blood cells, or the quantity of hemoglobin is less than normal. Low hematocrit, as manifested by anemia, has many causes. The common reason for low hematocrit is severe loss of blood, bone marrow conditions, or just simply nutritional deficiencies.

The symptoms for a person with low hematocrit usually include feeling weak, fatigue, poor concentration, general malaise and shortness of breath. In severe cases of low hematocrit condtions, the patient may have palpitations, angina, and symptoms of heart failure. This is so because in severe cases of anemia, cardiac output is increased to compensate for the lack of oxygen in the red blood cells.

Physical manifestations of low hematocrit levels include the paling of the skin, jaundice, and even bone deformities.