what is pcv in blood test

PCV stands for Packed Cell Volume, which is a measurement of the proportion of blood that is made up of cells. The PCV test is a simple blood test that measures the percentage of red blood cells (RBC) in your blood. It is also known as the hematocrit test. The PCV test is done to diagnose anemia or polycythemia in patients. Anemia is a condition where there is a low level of red blood cells, while polycythemia is a condition where there is a high level of red blood cells. The PCV test is generally done along with a full blood count test that is conducted to estimate the need for any blood transfusions and monitor the response to the blood transfusion treatment. The PCV test can measure how much of the blood consists of cells. If the PCV results show a reading of 50%, it denotes that 50 ml of cells is present in exactly 100 ml of blood. A lower than normal hematocrit can indicate an insufficient supply of healthy red blood cells (anemia) .