I work at a blood bank and we do red blood cell counts on a daily basis. My first question is was your mothers Hematicrit low or was is her actual red blood cell count. There is a differnce. Your hematicrit is your calculated percentage of red blood cells compared to all the other blood componenets including platelets (the clumpy things that clot your blood), white cells (leukocytes- your body's infection fighters), and red blood cells (your oxygen carriers. This is what the hemoglobin rests on top of that carries the oxygen. Your red blood cells give it a piggy back ride). Your red blood cell count is the actual number of red blood cells in your body at one time. If the Hematicrit is low so is the red blood cell count. Most women run lower in this area because of our monthly blood loss. But it can also point to more serious things like internal bleeding or anemia. Hope this helps.
[This message has been edited by juju_magoo (edited 02-27-2003).]
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What does low red blood cell count mean? 
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