Hematology
Red blood cells
How many red blood cells are packed into a volume of blood.
Unit 10^12/LTypical adult range 4.4–5.9 10^12/L
What it is
How many red blood cells are packed into a volume of blood.
Why it matters
It is the count behind hemoglobin and hematocrit, and the three usually move together; when they do not, the indices below explain why.
Reading the number
On its own it says little, because a cell count says nothing about how much hemoglobin is in each cell. Like hemoglobin it is a concentration, so dehydration lifts it.
What moves it
hydrationaltitudesmokingrecent blood donationpregnancy
Read alongside
When to raise it
Worth mentioning a value outside the range that holds on a repeat test.
Also known as
On a report in another language.
A lab report names this analyte in its own language. Vitals Vault recognises each of these and files them all under Red blood cells.
EritrócitosErütrotsüüdidErythrozytenEritrocitosHématiesRBCContagem de Eritrócitos
Catalog entry last updated 2026-08-27. Browse all 165 metrics.