What is the effect of a bacterial infection on the hematocrit?

Answer 1

Its really simple if you think about it. if you have a bacterial infection your white blood cell count would increase because as the wbc's are fighting off the infection they die off releasing a chemical into the blood stream that tells your body to increase production of white blood cells. so the hematocrit would have a thicker buffer layer. the buffer layer being the white blood cells. With a higher production of white blood cells the rbc production would very slightly decrease which would decrease the ratio of rbc to whole blood volume.

Answer 2

A bacterial infection can lead to an increase in hematocrit levels due to dehydration from fever and vomiting. Inflammatory responses triggered by the infection can also stimulate the production of red blood cells, leading to a rise in hematocrit.