Blood indicators, which are determined during a general analysis, can tell a lot about the state of the body, about the work of its systems. Therefore, it is prescribed both during the passage of a periodic medical examination, and when patients apply to a therapist, other doctors. One of the important indicators is hemoglobin. It must be at a certain level. Why hemoglobin is lowered will be discussed in detail later.
General definition
Why is hemoglobin low? This question is faced by some people who have passed a clinical blood test. To understand this, you need to know what hemoglobin is. It is worth saying that the well-being of a person depends on it. With a decrease in this indicator, a number of unpleasant symptoms appear, which are hard to miss. Reduced hemoglobin levels affect the functioning of all systems and organs.
Forred blood cells are responsible for the production of hemoglobin. At an early stage of their development, the process of its production is launched. When a person takes a breath, red blood cells are filled with oxygen. Then they carry it throughout the body, filling all tissues with the substance necessary for metabolic processes. It is hemoglobin that combines with oxygen in red blood cells. If it is not enough, the cell cannot transport the required amount of oxygen. For this reason, the decrease in this indicator is of concern.
Functions
Why is hemoglobin low in the blood? There are many reasons that affect the score. It is important to understand that hemoglobin is very important for the normal functioning of the body. This substance is not only responsible for the transport of oxygen, but also carbon dioxide, which is produced during cell metabolism.
If metabolic processes go wrong, all tissues suffer. Cells do not receive the required portion of oxygen, and carbon dioxide is also not removed from them in the required amount. If no action is taken, the consequences can be serious. At different ages, this figure can vary significantly. It is also worth noting that in men and women its level is not the same. Therefore, the analysis takes into account the gender, age factor. When hemoglobin is low, anemia is said to develop.
Examination
Why is low hemoglobin in women and men determined at different levels? This is due to the physiological characteristics of the body. The fact that this indicator is below normal is determined by a laboratory examination of capillary blood. This is a simple yet informative method.
To donate blood to determine the level of hemoglobin, you need to contact a therapist. If there are certain symptoms, he will issue a referral. Also, the analysis is prescribed during the passage of a periodic medical examination, during pregnancy, in preparation for surgery, etc.
Blood will need to be taken from a finger. It is best to take it on an empty stomach. However, a light breakfast is allowed in the morning. Depending on the work of the laboratory, the result will be ready in a few hours or the next business day. The form must indicate the range in which the indicator should be for a certain group of patients. This allows you to immediately determine whether a person has normal, low or high hemoglobin.
So, for example, wondering why the hemoglobin in the blood of women during pregnancy is low, it is worth considering that many new processes take place during this period. The amount of blood increases unevenly. Therefore, hemoglobin may be low. Up to a certain level, this is considered quite normal.
Elevated level is extremely rare. Downward deviations are more common.
Norm in adults
Why is low hemoglobin more common in women than in men? In childhood, this indicator is the same for both sexes. However, in adolescence, this figure begins to differ. The sex hormones determinephysiological features. It is under their influence that the level of hemoglobin changes in different periods of a person’s life. Moreover, in women, even after menopause, this indicator will differ from the level normal for men.
Only a doctor can diagnose low hemoglobin. Therefore, it is impossible to independently determine whether the indicator obtained is sufficient or not. However, in general terms, hemoglobin should be:
| Adult male | Adult woman |
| 125-175g/l | 120-156g/l |
In the blood of men, a large amount of androgens is determined. This hormone stimulates the production of red blood cells. Therefore, for the representatives of the stronger sex, the indicator should be higher. Why is hemoglobin in the blood low in men? There are a number of pathologies that affect this process. In women, low hemoglobin is normal in some conditions.
Childhood and pregnancy
After testing, some parents may ask why a three-month-old baby has low hemoglobin. This figure is higher in children than in adults. Gradually, it decreases as the baby grows. This indicator reaches its highest level in infancy. Therefore, the lower value of this indicator is of concern.
Before considering why low hemoglobin in an infant, in a child of preschool or school age, you need to know the acceptablenorms:
| First 2 weeks of life | 135-196g/l |
| First year of life | 110-135g/l |
| School age | 115-140g/l |
In a growing organism, there are many rearrangements. Because of this, the presented indicator is gradually changing. During pregnancy, hemoglobin should be between 110 and 145 g/L. At this time, you need to eat foods rich in iron, and reduce the amount of tea, coffee, and other substances that reduce the absorption of this trace element.
Characteristic symptoms
Why is there low hemoglobin? There are many factors for such an unpleasant phenomenon. In this case, a number of characteristic symptoms appear. If a person notes such manifestations, it is necessary to undergo an examination as soon as possible.
One of the earliest and most common symptoms is general weakness with low hemoglobin levels. The person gets tired quickly, he often has shortness of breath. The condition is predominantly drowsy. Sometimes dizziness or headaches may occur. Irregularities in the field of arterial pressure, heart rate are determined.
If the level of hemoglobin drops significantly, even fainting is possible. Due to iron deficiency, the skin becomes dry and flaky. Cracks may appear in the corners of the mouth, on the hands. Hair and nails also suffer from a lack of oxygen. They become brittle. Sometimes the hair on the head falls out a lot precisely because of a violation of oxygenexchange.
While wondering why the hemoglobin in the blood of a child or an adult is low, medical staff claim that iron deficiency is the most common cause. Because of this, the life span of cells is markedly reduced. Sometimes there are disturbances in the perception of taste and smell.
At times when hemoglobin is greatly reduced, a person may crave inedible things, such as earth. There is also selectivity in food. May crave certain foods, such as red wine. However, treatment with a significant decrease in this indicator cannot be limited to diet alone. A person has deviations in the work of all organs. Especially noticeable is the decrease in concentration, memory. The sooner treatment is started, the less negative consequences will be.
Three groups of reasons
It should be noted that during the diagnosis, low hemoglobin is often determined. The reasons for this phenomenon can be divided into three groups. Further actions aimed at restoring the normal level of hemoglobin depend on this.
The first category includes pathologies associated with impaired production of protein with iron content. As a result, it becomes insufficient. Most often this is due to disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. A person consumes a sufficient amount of food that contains iron. However, due to disorders in the digestive system, they are poorly absorbed. This situation often occurs afteroperations on the stomach or duodenum. The same effect is characterized by long, rigid diets, starvation. An unbalanced diet also leads to a lack of iron in the body.
The second group of factors why hemoglobin in the blood is lowered is the rapid destruction of red blood cells existing in the body. This is due to the influence of external factors. This, for example, can be increased radiation, poor environmental situation, etc. Sometimes a person's own immunity fails. Erythrocytes are perceived as foreign cells. Leukocytes destroy them. Under the influence of various factors, such cells die much earlier than expected. Low hemoglobin in this case is due to an insufficient number of cells capable of carrying oxygen to the tissues.
The third group of reasons included pathologies of the synthesis of this substance. At the same time, the body lacks both red blood cells and substances for the production of iron-containing protein. But the process of forming it in sufficient quantities is going wrong. The cause of such failures is almost always a genetic predisposition.
Common causes
There are a number of reasons why low hemoglobin in men and women of different ages. Some of them are more common. In the vast majority of cases, the low level of the presented indicator is due to improper or insufficient nutrition. Food is either not enough at all, or there is not enough food involved in the synthesis of hemoglobin.
Moreoverit is worth saying that with diagnosed anemia, in most cases it turns out that there is not enough animal products in the human diet. Vegetarians suffer from this disease. Plant foods are not as well digested. Even if they contain a sufficient amount of substances necessary for the synthesis, the body takes them from food in a very limited amount. During pregnancy, this situation can only get worse. Therefore, when carrying a child, a woman must eat a balanced diet. The vegetarian menu in this case will harm both the expectant mother and her baby.
The second no less common cause is blood loss. It may occur due to trauma. Moreover, in this case, a person loses a significant amount of blood. Until the body recovers, it is impossible to take an analysis for the level of hemoglobin. Donors also have a similar condition after the transfusion procedure. It takes at least 2 weeks to restore the normal level of this indicator. At this time, the diet should be as rich as possible in foods containing iron and other vitamins and microelements.
After operations, in the presence of internal bleeding, in case of ectopic pregnancy, the level of the presented indicator also drops noticeably. In women, there are many more reasons why the level of hemoglobin decreases. In addition to the period of pregnancy, a similar situation occurs during menstruation, as well as during menopause. A decrease in the level of sex hormones, blood loss during menstruation can also affect the result of the analysis. It is not passed in the first 10days of the menstrual cycle.
Other factors
The list of reasons why there is not enough hemoglobin in the blood is extensive. Chronic infections reduce the production of this substance. Such diseases include tuberculosis, pyelonephritis, hepatitis, etc. Prolonged diseases in the kidneys, liver, lungs cause similar conditions.
In the elderly, the level of hemoglobin is always lower than in young people. This is due to the difference in the quality of assimilation of the necessary vitamins and minerals. Ingested with food, substances in old age are incorrectly redistributed in the body.
When wondering why a child has low hemoglobin, it is worth noting that this situation occurs after a cold or flu. If the baby has recently had a similar illness, diagnosis should be postponed for 10-14 days. Usually, after recovery, the indicator quickly returns to normal. Parents should provide their baby with proper, he althy nutrition. Sometimes the doctor advises taking special vitamin complexes during and after a cold. They are able to strengthen the immune system, and also help the child's body to quickly recover from illness.
If the level of hemoglobin is significantly reduced, diseases in the brain area can become the cause. In this case, the stem cells die. Anemia also develops with malignant neoplasms. This can be determined if the level of leukocytes in the blood is below normal.
Thyroid diseases, connective tissue pathologies, can lead to the development of autoimmune conditions. As a resultthe number of erythrocytes is significantly reduced. This will also be seen in clinical analysis. Without identifying the cause that affects the production of hemoglobin, it is impossible to carry out the correct treatment.
Treatment and prevention
Having identified the reason why hemoglobin is low, you need to start the right treatment. First, the provoking factor is eliminated. With an unbalanced diet, the daily diet is revised. If the level of the presented indicator is significantly lower, except for special foods, the doctor prescribes preparations containing iron.
In addition, vitamins B6, B12 and other components take part in the synthesis of hemoglobin. Therefore, food should be varied. It is important to supplement the diet with animal proteins. Beef is especially useful. Every day you need to eat fish, eggs. At the same time, be sure to eat fruits and vegetables. Liver, lean chicken meat is also good.
It is necessary to eat different cereals (especially buckwheat) and legumes. You need to eat onions, tomatoes, potatoes (boiled), greens. Some fruits are high in iron. Do not think that only by eating them you can increase the level of hemoglobin. This is far from true. This cannot be done without animal proteins. Fruits complement a balanced diet. Apples, bananas, pomegranates are especially useful in this case. You need to eat prunes, peaches, apricots. Also, do not avoid seafood, dried fruits. Nuts and dark chocolate are good for the body. These foods should be eaten regularly.and in disease prevention. A he althy lifestyle, reducing stress, physical activity also gives a positive result.
Having considered why hemoglobin is lowered, as well as methods of treatment and prevention, a number of negative factors that affect this indicator can be eliminated. The likelihood of developing anemia in this case will decrease significantly.
