Questions: A patient has a hematocrit of 33%. Which of the following conditions does the patient likely have? Anemia Leukopenia Polycythemia Leukocytosis

A patient has a hematocrit of 33%. Which of the following conditions does the patient likely have? Anemia Leukopenia Polycythemia Leukocytosis

Transcript text: A patient has a hematocrit of $33 \%$. Which of the following conditions does the patient likely have? Anemia Leukopenia Polycythemia Leukocytosis

Solution

The answer is the first one: Anemia.

Explanation for each option:

Anemia: This condition is characterized by a lower than normal hematocrit level, which indicates a reduced number of red blood cells. A hematocrit of 33% is below the normal range for adults (typically 38-46% for women and 40-54% for men), suggesting that the patient likely has anemia.
Leukopenia: This condition refers to a decrease in the number of white blood cells (leukocytes). It does not directly affect the hematocrit level, which measures the proportion of red blood cells in the blood.
Polycythemia: This condition is characterized by an increased hematocrit level, indicating a higher than normal number of red blood cells. A hematocrit of 33% is too low to suggest polycythemia.
Leukocytosis: This condition refers to an increase in the number of white blood cells. Like leukopenia, it does not directly affect the hematocrit level.

Summary: The patient likely has anemia, as indicated by the low hematocrit level of 33%.

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