Does anyone know about the blood test hematocrit! Please help?

Question

Ok a hematocrit of 44% is within normal range but if you moved somewhere with a higher altitude you know thinner air would your hematocrit go up or down and why?

Answer 1

People who live at high altitudes as a general rule will eventually increase their hematocrit to increase the oxygen-carrying capability of the blood, since the inspired oxygen concentration available at the alveolar level is so low.

Answer 2

Hematocrit is the fraction of red blood cells in a sample of blood - (the rest being plasma, white blood cells, etc).  What would happen is very similar to pathological conditions where the body is deprived of oxygen (at higher altitudes the partial pressure of oxygen is lower so there is a decreased gradient to get it across the lungs), eventually the body would start producing increased numbers of red blood cells.  This happens in long-time smokers and individuals with COPD and is called polycythemia.  One would predict the hematocrit to increase, producing increased oxygen carrying capacity of the blood.  Hope this helps.