A member asked:

Why is hgb usually 1/3 of hct if there are two alpha and two beta chains per red cell? it seems like the ratio would be higher

A doctor has provided 1 answer

Nope.: Just works out that way. The HGB is a measure of the quantity of a specific protein, the hematocrit is a measure of the total volume of cells as compared to the total amount of fluid. So we are not really comparing the same things. There are too many other variables that affect the hct to make any fixed ratio "law.".

Answered 6/10/2014

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