What does hemoglobin mean

Hemoglobin, which is a customary name and is now collectively referred to as hemoglobin, is an important indicator for evaluating whether a patient is anemic. The normal range of this indicator for adults is approximately 32-36g/dl. Generally, this indicator will be lower in microcytic anemia. In macrocytic anemia, this indicator will remain normal.

2. Normal value of hemoglobin

What is the normal value of hemoglobin? Generally speaking, hemoglobin is a standard to distinguish whether a person is anemic or not. Usually, the hemoglobin level for men is 120g/l, the hemoglobin level for women is 110g/l, and the level for pregnant women is 100g/l. That is to say, if a person's hemoglobin level is 105, he is in a state of mild anemia. At this time, patients with mild anemia should double their lifestyle habits.

3. Low hemoglobin

In fact, there are many causes of anemia - during women's monthly menstrual period, decreased immunity, endocrine disorders, decreased liver function, taking too many medications, etc. At this time, when the body's iron and B vitamins are insufficient, it can easily cause anemia. Cancer patients may also experience low hemoglobin levels after receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy. After women have had uterine surgery, they are more likely to develop anemia.

What are the causes and symptoms of low hemoglobin?

Malnutrition is one of the most common factors. Many nutrient deficiencies will directly affect the amount of hemoglobin, such as vitamin deficiencies (especially B12). This problem is most common in pregnant women and women who have a poor diet (lack of folic acid, vitamins and minerals).

Iron deficiency anemia is caused by a lack of iron in the diet. Inadequate iron intake directly affects hemoglobin production, thus leading to major malfunctions in the production of hemoglobin molecules. This will undoubtedly cause low hemoglobin levels. Such as bloody hemorrhoids, heavy bleeding during childbirth, dysfunctional uterine bleeding, menorrhagia, etc.

Hormonal imbalances can also cause low hemoglobin levels. Sometimes hypothyroidism can cause the body's metabolic rate to slow down, causing the patient to feel tired and drowsy, which is also an important factor. People with a spleen or pernicious anemia may have low hemoglobin levels due to the destruction of too many red blood cells.

Chronic diseases such as kidney failure caused by long-term infection, cancer, Crohn's disease, etc. can also cause a decrease in hemoglobin levels. Other similar causes include intestinal infections and autoimmune diseases (such as systemic lupus erythematosus).

In addition, some drugs may also have side effects, such as chemotherapy drugs or radiation therapy.

What causes high hemoglobin?

Physiological reasons for high hemoglobin: Some residents living in plateaus (lack of oxygen on the plateau leads to tissue hypoxia and causes high hemoglobin). Newborn babies generally have high hemoglobin levels (newborns need to adapt to the new external environment and need 2 to 3 weeks of physiological adjustments, during which special physiological conditions occur, such as jaundice). When you are emotionally excited, it is easy to cause a temporary increase in hemoglobin. Blood concentration causes a relative increase in the content of red blood cells and hemoglobin, which will cause high hemoglobin levels.

Pathological reasons for high hemoglobin: Some patients with congenital heart and lung diseases will have high hemoglobin (such as tetralogy of Fallot, cyanotic congenital heart disease, obstructive pulmonary emphysema, cor pulmonale), because the compensatory increase of erythropoietin in the body causes high hemoglobin. Certain tumor diseases can cause high hemoglobin (such as renal cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, uterine fibroids, ovarian cancer, renal embryonal carcinoma, etc.), and erythropoietin increases non-compensatoryly, leading to the above results. Polycythemia vera is a blood disorder characterized by an increase in red blood cells and causes elevated hemoglobin. Diabetes insipidus, hyperthyroid crisis, diabetic acidosis, etc. can cause high hemoglobin.