Many patients know that a decrease in hemoglobin (anemia) leads to serious he alth problems. At the same time, a person feels weakness, lethargy, dizziness. However, high hemoglobin is also a he alth hazard. This disorder is much less common than anemia. In medicine, an excessive increase in hemoglobin is called hyperhemoglobinemia. It occurs when, due to certain pathologies, the body experiences a lack of oxygen. It is useful for patients to know about the causes and treatment of high hemoglobin, as this disorder can lead to serious problems with the heart and blood vessels.
What is hemoglobin?
Hemoglobin is a complex chemical compound found in red blood cells. It turns blood red. Hemoglobin is a protein that contains iron. The function of this blood element is to carry oxygen throughout the body. It is hemoglobinresponsible for the nutrition of organs and tissues.
Norms for hemoglobin in the blood
What does high hemoglobin mean? Such an indicator is always a sign of either a lack of oxygen or a decrease in blood volume due to fluid loss. The causes of hyperhemoglobinemia can be different.
To understand the decoding of the general blood test, you need to know the norms of hemoglobin. They differ for patients of different sex and age. The following hemoglobin indicators should be alarming:
- for women - above 150 g per 1 liter of blood;
- for men - more than 180 g/l.
In children, normal hemoglobin levels depend on age. They decrease as the child grows. If in newborns and infants, hemoglobin up to 200 g / l is considered the norm, then for a child of 6-12 years old (regardless of gender), an indicator above 150 g / l is assessed by doctors as hyperhemoglobinemia.
How dangerous is hyperhemoglobinemia?
High hemoglobin is very often accompanied by an increase in the number of red blood cells. This leads to thickening of the blood. The following pathologies can become a consequence of such a violation:
- formation of blood clots in vessels;
- myocardial infarction;
- stroke;
- thromboembolism of the lungs.
This is due to the fact that an increase in hemoglobin and red blood cells leads to the formation of blood clots and plaques on the walls of blood vessels.
In addition, elevated hemoglobin levels can be a symptom of seriousdiseases that require immediate treatment.
Next, the main causes of high hemoglobin will be considered.
Physiological hyperhemoglobinemia
Moderate hyperhemoglobinemia is not always a pathology. It can also be observed in cases where the occupation or living conditions of a person require an increased consumption of oxygen. Doctors consider it a variant of the norm if the increase in hemoglobin is caused by the following reasons:
- Reinforced sports. Intense physical activity leads to increased oxygen consumption. To compensate for the lack of tissue nutrition, the body begins to intensively produce red blood cells. This is one of the possible causes of high hemoglobin in men. The stronger sex is more likely to engage in intense training and hard physical work.
- Living in a mountainous area. At high altitudes, the air contains less oxygen. To ensure normal tissue nutrition, the body has to produce more red blood cells. Therefore, residents of highlands often have high hemoglobin. This is not a pathology. This feature is also observed in those people whose profession is associated with constant flights (pilots and stewardesses).
In these cases, there is a slight deviation from the norm, by about 10-20%.
Hyperhemoglobinemia in smokers
Smoking leads to a lack of oxygen in the body. This makes the systemhematopoiesis work in an enhanced mode to prevent the development of hypoxia. With systematic and frequent smoking, the patient may experience a constant increase in hemoglobin.
However, against this background, a person can develop pernicious anemia. It has nothing to do with iron deficiency. With high hemoglobin in smokers, red blood cells may be reduced. This is because nicotine disrupts the absorption of B vitamins. In addition, unnaturally high hemoglobin in tobacco users can mask the development of iron deficiency anemia.
An increase in hemoglobin can also be observed in non-smokers who often have to be in smoky rooms. Passive smoking also leads to oxygen deficiency.
False boost
Hemoglobin can be elevated if a person is exhausted or dehydrated. At the same time, the number of erythrocytes remains normal. With the loss of fluid, the blood thickens, and hemoglobin is elevated.
In this case, you need to re-analyze to identify a true or false increase in the indicator.
Causes of hyperhemoglobinemia in women
High hemoglobin in women is quite rare. This is due to the peculiarities of physiology. Women's blood contains fewer red blood cells. In addition, androgens have a stimulating effect on the hematopoietic system. These hormones are produced in the female body in very small quantities.
High hemoglobin in women can be observed in the second trimester of pregnancy. During this period, the placenta is formed in the fetus. Hyperhemoglobinemia is the result of hormonal changes in the body. However, this is a rather rare occurrence. Much more often during gestation, there is a decrease in hemoglobin due to an increase in total blood volume.
If a pregnant woman has persistent and prolonged hyperhemoglobinemia, hospitalization and treatment are indicated. This condition is dangerous for the development of thromboembolism in the patient and impaired fetal development.
Recent childbirth can be the cause of high hemoglobin in women. To compensate for blood loss, the body begins to intensively produce red blood cells. This condition is considered normal if it lasts no more than 2 weeks.
Increase in hemoglobin can be observed in women sitting on an overly strict diet for weight loss. This is due to dehydration during weight loss.
These are the most common physiological causes of hyperhemoglobinemia in women. Next, pathologies that can lead to deviations in blood test results will be considered.
Causes of increased hemoglobin in men
As already mentioned, high hemoglobin in men can be associated with intense exercise or smoking. However, hyperhemoglobinemia is often caused by hormonal causes. In men with increased testosterone production, there is an increased production of red blood cells and hemoglobin. The same phenomenon is observed in people who use steroid drugs to build muscle.
Hemoglobin may be elevated due to Gaisbeck's disease. This rare pathology ispredominantly in middle-aged men engaged in heavy physical labor. The disease is characterized by an increase in the level of red blood cells and hemoglobin, as well as an increase in blood pressure.
The cause of hyperhemoglobinemia may be a congenital disease - hemochromatosis. It is much more common in men than in women. Pathology is genetic in nature, but manifests itself only in middle age. The patient has an excessive amount of iron in the body. This leads to damage to internal organs. The patient has a bronze coloration of the skin, liver damage, joint pain, decreased libido.
Why is the child's hemoglobin elevated?
High hemoglobin in a child is most often associated with fluid loss and dehydration. This is observed with increased sweating, being in hot conditions, insufficient fluid intake, severe diarrhea.
In addition, hemoglobin in children can increase during colds, accompanied by high fever and heavy sweating.
At the age of 1 year, hyperhemoglobinemia is considered a physiological norm. Babies produce a special fetal hemoglobin (hemoglobin F). This substance begins to be produced even in the prenatal period. With age, it is replaced by adult protein, and hemoglobin in the blood decreases.
However, if the hemoglobin in a child is significantly higher than normal, then this may be a sign of serious illness. High levels of this blood protein are observed in children with congenital heart disease.
What diseases lead to increasedhemoglobin?
High hemoglobin can be a sign of diseases of various organs and systems. In this case, hyperhemoglobinemia is only one of the symptoms of pathology. Deviation from the norm in terms of this blood protein is noted with the following ailments:
- Pathologies of the heart and blood vessels. In such diseases, due to disruption of the myocardium, the supply of organs and tissues with oxygen worsens. To compensate for nutritional deficiency, the hematopoietic system produces red blood cells in increased numbers.
- Diseases of the respiratory system. With fibrotic changes in the lungs, as well as with bronchial asthma, a person receives less oxygen. As a result, the body begins to produce hemoglobin in an increased amount.
- Malignant tumors. Cancer cells absorb oxygen from the body, and the hematopoietic system has to intensively produce red blood cells.
- Acute intestinal obstruction. This disease results in fluid loss and reduced blood volume.
- Severe burns. Exposure to high temperatures on the skin causes the destruction of red blood cells. To make up for their deficiency, the body produces more red blood cells.
Symptoms of hyperhemoglobinemia
Hyperhemoglobinemia negatively affects a person's well-being. The patient feels constantly tired and tired, his sleep worsens sharply. The patient has high blood pressure. Body temperature also rises for no apparent reason.
You may notice redness and blemishes on the skin due to excess red blood cells. There is increased bleeding. Many patients experience dramatic weight loss with adequate nutrition.
Medicated treatment
What to do with high hemoglobin? Complex therapy includes taking medications and dieting. Prescribe drugs that reduce blood clotting (antiplatelet agents);
- "Heparin";
- "Aspirin";
- "Cardiomagnyl";
- "Trental";
- "Curantil";
- "Ticlopidine".
These medicines should not be taken on their own. Excessive use of these drugs can lead to increased bleeding. The course of treatment with antiplatelet agents takes place only under the supervision of a doctor and the control of hematological parameters.
Diet
Drug treatment for high hemoglobin will not be effective if the patient does not follow a special diet. It is necessary to exclude foods rich in iron from the diet. These include:
- vegetables, fruits and red berries;
- red meat;
- liver;
- animal fats;
- high-fat dairy products;
- buckwheat and oatmeal dishes;
- smoked meat products;
- sweets;
- fast food.
It is recommended to eat more fish and seafood, chicken white meat, legumes, low-fat dairy products, vegetables and fruitsgreen.
When hyperhemoglobinemia is useful to eat sauerkraut and spinach. These foods help thin the blood. All dishes must be cooked in boiled, stewed or baked form. Fried foods should be avoided.
Drink enough fluids every day, as dehydration can cause an increase in hemoglobin. It is necessary to completely eliminate smoking and drinking alcohol.
Other Therapies
To treat hyperhemoglobinemia, your doctor may prescribe an erythrocytopheresis procedure. Blood is taken from the patient and red blood cells are removed from it. The purified plasma is returned to the patient.
An old way to treat high hemoglobin is hirudotherapy (the use of leeches). In some cases, this helps bring blood counts back to normal, as well as lower blood pressure.
However, these treatments are rarely used. They are shown only in the absence of the effect of drug therapy and diet.
Conclusion
It can be concluded that elevated hemoglobin is no less dangerous than anemia. Such a deviation causes serious complications from the cardiovascular system and adversely affects the well-being of a person. In addition, it can be a symptom of dangerous pathologies.
If hyperhemoglobinemia is not caused by natural causes (intense training, living in highlands), then changes in the clinical picture of the blood cannot be left withoutattention. It is necessary to undergo additional diagnostics and treatment from a specialist.
