HCT and Altitude

[Hoosier52]

I found this report online. I live at 1 mile high and have borderline high HCT. The HCT numbers in this article seem to be higher than some would recommend. Thoughts?


http://www.patientcareonline.com/ob...vated-hemoglobin-concentration-and-hematocrit

[FONT=&quot]"There is overwhelming evidence that values up to [/FONT][FONT=&quot]18 g/dL (for hemoglobin concentration) or 53% (for hematocrit) [/FONT][FONT=&quot]should not be considered elevated in white or [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Asian men who live at altitudes of 1000 m (approximately [/FONT][FONT=&quot]3000 ft) above sea level or less.[/FONT][FONT=&quot]1[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Corresponding cutoff [/FONT][FONT=&quot]values for white and Asian women are 16.5 g/dL and 48%. [/FONT][FONT=&quot]African Americans, for unknown reasons, have slightly[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]lower normal limits-by about 0.7 g/dL for hemoglobin [/FONT][FONT=&quot]concentrations and by about 2% for hematocrit. The upper [/FONT][FONT=&quot]limit of the normal range in children is lower still. Both hemoglobin[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]levels and hematocrit increase in a linear fashion [/FONT][FONT=&quot]with altitudes of more than 1000 m above sea level; thus, in [/FONT][FONT=&quot]mile-high Denver or in Santa Fe, NM, 19 g/dL is a normal [/FONT][FONT=&quot]hemoglobin concentration in a white man."[/FONT]

 

[Vince Carter]

Ive joined in that belief though to comply with my therapy I donate and do what's expected. I was born and raised in Las Vegas and spent a lot of time in the mountains of Nevada and Arizona so I do have some belief that my HCT/HGB is a natural variant, to an extent.

 

[Hoosier52]

I think altitude is most certainly a factor...Dr. Saya takes that into consideration when looking at my HCT. What most interested me was the level of HCT that this article considers to be high. If my numbers are right, it put high at 57 for people living at altitude.