CAUSES of HEMOGLOBIN HIGH: Symptoms, Treatment and Consequences

Hemoglobin, abbreviated as Hb or Hgb, is a protein made up of a rich amount of iron. It is part of the red blood cells: the blood cells responsible for transporting oxygen. It is created in the bone marrow and stored in red blood cells or erythrocytes. There, hemoglobin travels in the blood with the purpose of transporting oxygen to the organs and tissues of the body, as well as carrying carbon dioxide to the lungs and then being expelled.

Hemoglobin levels are always measured in hemograms of blood tests, in order to detect if the red blood cells are healthy or if the body is receiving the amount of oxygen it needs to function properly.

In that sense, high hemoglobin means that the bone marrow is producing more hemoglobin than the body needs. This may be a sign that the body is trying to compensate for a deficiency in ability to carry oxygen.

Because oxygen is one of the most important components for the proper functioning of the body’s systems, maintaining a balanced level of hemoglobin in the blood is crucial for health.

Also, too much hemoglobin can cause the blood to thicken. When blood is more viscous, it becomes more difficult to transport it and the risk of blood clots increases. This can lead to heart failure, heart attacks (switch link), and strokes.

High mean corpuscular hemoglobin

Mean corpuscular hemoglobin^[1] (abbreviated as HCM) refers to the volume of hemoglobin contained in each red blood cell. Normal HCM levels are between 27 and 33 picograms per cell in adults. A high HCM count is commonly a sign of a condition called macrocytic anemia, in which the red blood cells are too large due to a deficiency of vitamin B12 and folic acid. Likewise, it can also be caused by:

• Liver diseases
• Overactive thyroid glands
• Regular consumption of alcohol
• Complications from certain types of cancer
• Complications from an infection
• Use of many medications with estrogen

What is considered high blood hemoglobin can vary slightly from laboratory to laboratory, so it is important to check in blood tests what is the average in which this value should be found according to the laboratory in which we are conducting the test.

Generally speaking, values ​​higher than the following mean that hemoglobin is high:

• Women: more than 15.5 g / dL
• Men: more than 17.5 g / dL

If our hemoglobin count significantly exceeds these figures, it will be necessary to discover what is the cause of this condition. To learn more about it, do not hesitate to read our article on what are the normal values ​​of hemoglobin in the blood.

High hemoglobin in children

Babies may have a higher hemoglobin value than adults. This is because they have access to more oxygen in the uterus and need more red blood cells to carry it. After several weeks, the hemoglobin should start to drop. Over the years, the hemoglobin in adolescents will be similar to that of adults. As with hemoglobin levels in adults, each laboratory has an average by which it guides to define the values. In general, they usually range between:

• 0 to 30 days old: 9.9 to 13.4 g / dL.
• 31 to 60 days old: 10.7 to 17.1 g / dL.
• 2 to 3 months: 9 to 14.1 g / dL.
• 6 to 12 months: from 11.3 to 14.1 g / dL.
• From 1 to 5 years: from 11.3 to 14.1 g / dL.
• From 5 to 11 years: from 11.9 to 15 g / dL.
• From 11 to 18 years old: from 11.9 to 15 g / dL in females and from 12.7 to 17.7 g / dL in males.

The high production of red blood cells is called polycythemia^[2]. It will be possible to diagnose it when the number of red blood cells and the hemoglobin level exceed normal values. If the fetus doesn’t have access to enough oxygen, it will make more red blood cells to compensate.

Other causes of high hemoglobin in newborns include:

• Being born at a high altitude above sea level. The body will make more red blood cells to make up for the lack of oxygen.
• Being born after 42 weeks of gestation.
• Growth restrictions inside the uterus.
• Being children of diabetic mothers.
• Chromosome defects.

The increase in red blood cells and hemoglobin is not necessarily a problem. However, as we mentioned earlier, a large excess of blood cells will thicken the blood. In these cases, high hemoglobin in children can cause them to develop difficulty breathing. Also, your heart and blood vessels may find it difficult to compensate for the amount of blood.

When we talk about high hemoglobin, common causes such as tobacco use are the ones that, most of the time, explain the condition. Although it is not usually a cause for great concern, it is important to understand the causes of high hemoglobin, as it can be a symptom of serious diseases.

The altitude it is another cause of high hemoglobin. If the body does not regularly access the amount of oxygen it needs, the bone marrow is expected to compensate by creating more hemoglobin and red blood cells. This may be the case for people who live in cities or places at high altitudes and have a high hemoglobin count.

Another of the most common causes of high hemoglobin is, as we mentioned, the habit of smoke tobacco. In these cases, quitting smoking, directly or passively, will help restore hemoglobin levels to normal.

Between the less common causes of elevated hemoglobin, they find each other:

• Failures in heart or lung function.
• Ingestion of drugs or hormones such as erythropoietin, used in doping of athletes.
• Congenital heart disease.
• Chronic bronchitis
• Emphysema: Both emphysema and chronic bronchitis can be caused by long-term smoking.
• Kidney cancer.
• Liver cancer.
• Polycythemia vera: A bone marrow disorder that causes uncontrolled production of blood cells. Blood tests from patients with polycythemia vera will also show a high hematocrit count.
• Pulmonary fibrosis.

The dehydration It is another of the causes that produce this irregularity. It is enough to replace the fluids in the patient’s body to obtain an improvement. Mountaineers and mountaineers are also at higher risk of registering high hemoglobin, due to the time they spend in places with low oxygen levels.

As with low hemoglobin, symptoms of high hemoglobin will not always occur. Many times these too will depend on the underlying disease which causes high hemoglobin. Symptoms are usually related to excess blood in the bloodstream. This can cause inflammation and itching.

When red blood cells die, the iron contained in the hemoglobin is reused to create bilirubin, the substance that gives stool its brown color. Elevated hemoglobin can also cause excess bilirubin, which will result in a phenomenon known as jaundice, in which the mucous membranes and skin turn yellowish.

Between the symptoms of high hemoglobin and polycythemia is it so:

• Itch
• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Excessive bleeding from wounds or bruises
• Increased sweating
• Painful inflammation of the joints
• Abnormal weight loss
• Yellowish skin, eyes, and mucous membranes
• Fatigue
• Reddish or purple skin

If, based on the symptoms, you suspect that you have a blood disorder, consult your doctor as soon as possible. In addition to a blood count, he will order other tests to find the causes of high blood hemoglobin.

The causes of high hemoglobin are varied and, therefore, the treatment to be followed will be adapted to the condition that is causing the imbalance in blood cells. Each doctor will evaluate the medications to be prescribed or the changes in lifestyle that he or she should suggest to the patient.

For example, in rare diseases such as polycythemia vera^[3]For which there is no cure, treatment for high hemoglobin is usually based on bleeding or drawing blood to reduce the volume of blood in the body. Other treatments include …