Many patients are aware that a decrease in hemoglobin (anemia) leads to serious health problems. At the same time, a person feels weakness, lethargy, dizziness. However, high hemoglobin also poses a health hazard. This disorder is much less common than anemia. In medicine, an excessive increase in hemoglobin is called hyperhemoglobinemia. It occurs when, due to some pathologies, the body lacks oxygen. It is useful for patients to know about the causes and treatment of high hemoglobin, since this violation 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 stains blood red. Hemoglobin is a protein that contains iron. The function of this blood element is to carry oxygen throughout the body. It is hemoglobin that is responsible for the nutrition of organs and tissues.
Hemoglobin levels 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 a 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 alert you:
- in women - above 150 g per 1 liter of blood;
- in men - more than 180 g / l.
In children, normal hemoglobin counts depend on age. They decrease as the child grows older. If hemoglobin up to 200 g / l is considered the norm in newborns and infants, then for a child of 6-12 years old (regardless of gender), an indicator above 150 g / l is estimated by doctors as hyperhemoglobinemia.
What is the danger of hyperhemoglobinemia?
High hemoglobin is very often accompanied by an increase in the number of red blood cells. This leads to a thickening of the blood. The following pathologies can become a consequence of such a violation:
- blood clots in the 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, an increased hemoglobin may be a symptom of serious diseases 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 noted in cases where occupations or living conditions of a person require an increased oxygen consumption. Doctors consider it a normal option if the increase in hemoglobin is caused by the following reasons:
- Strengthened 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. Representatives of the stronger sex are more often involved in intense training and hard physical work.
- Highland accommodation. At high altitudes, less oxygen is contained in the air. To ensure proper tissue nutrition, the body has to produce more red blood cells. Therefore, residents of highlands are more likely to 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, approximately 10-20%.
Hyperhemoglobinemia in smokers
Smoking leads to a lack of oxygen in the body. This forces the hematopoietic system to 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 the background of this, a person may develop pernicious anemia. It has nothing to do with iron deficiency. With high hemoglobin in smokers, red blood cells can be reduced. This is due to the fact that nicotine disrupts the absorption of B vitamins. In addition, unnaturally increased hemoglobin in tobacco lovers can mask developing iron deficiency anemia.
An increase in hemoglobin can also be observed in non-smokers, who often have to be in smokeless rooms. Passive smoking also leads to oxygen deficiency.
False boost
Hemoglobin may be elevated if a person is depleted or experiences dehydration. In this case, the number of red blood cells remains normal. With fluid loss, 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 physiological features. The blood of women contains less red blood cells. In addition, androgens have a stimulating effect on the hematopoiesis system. These hormones are formed in the female body in very small quantities.
High hemoglobin in women can occur 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, a decrease in hemoglobin is noted due to an increase in the 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.
The cause of high hemoglobin in women can be a recent birth. 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.
An increase in hemoglobin can be observed in women sitting on an excessively 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 a deviation in blood counts 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, often hyperhemoglobinemia is caused by hormonal causes. In men with increased testosterone production, increased production of red blood cells and hemoglobin is noted. The same phenomenon is observed in people who use steroid drugs to build muscle.
Hemoglobin may be elevated due to Geisbek disease. This rare pathology is noted mainly 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 can be a congenital disease - hemochromatosis. It occurs in men much more often than in women. Pathology is genetic in nature, but appears only in middle age. The patient accumulates in the body an excessive amount of iron. This leads to damage to the internal organs. The patient has bronze color of the skin, liver damage, joint pain, decreased libido.
Why is hemoglobin elevated in a child?
High hemoglobin in a child is most often associated with fluid loss and dehydration. This is observed with increased sweating, staying in hot conditions, insufficient fluid intake, severe diarrhea.
In addition, hemoglobin in children can increase during colds, accompanied by high fever and sweating.
At the age of 1 year, hyperhemoglobinemia is considered a physiological norm. In infants, a special fetal hemoglobin (hemoglobin F) is formed. This substance begins to be produced 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 can be a sign of serious illness. High levels of this blood protein are observed in children with congenital heart disease.
What diseases lead to an increase in hemoglobin?
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 deteriorates. To compensate for the nutritional deficiency, the hematopoietic system in an increased amount produces red blood cells.
- Respiratory diseases. 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 leads to fluid loss and a decrease in blood volume.
- Severe burns. The effect of high temperatures on the skin causes the destruction of red blood cells. To make up for their deficiency, the body produces increased red blood cells.
Symptoms of hyperhemoglobinemia
Hyperhemoglobinemia negatively affects the well-being of a person. The patient feels constantly tired and tired, his sleep sharply worsens. The patient has high blood pressure. Also, body temperature rises for no apparent reason.
Redness and blemishes can be seen on the skin due to an excess of red blood cells. There is increased bleeding. Many patients experience sudden weight loss with adequate nutrition.
Drug treatment
What to do with high hemoglobin? Combination therapy includes medication and diet. Prescribe drugs that reduce blood clotting (antiplatelet agents);
- Heparin
- "Aspirin";
- Cardiomagnyl;
- Trental;
- Curantyl
- Ticlopidine.
These medicines should not be taken on their own. Excessive use of such drugs can lead to increased bleeding. The course of treatment with antiplatelet agents takes place only under the supervision of a doctor and the monitoring of hematological parameters.
Diet
Drug treatment of 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 berries of red color;
- red meat;
- liver;
- animal fats;
- dairy products with high fat content;
- buckwheat and oatmeal dishes;
- smoked meat products;
- sweets;
- fast food.
It is recommended to eat more fish and seafood, chicken white meat, dishes from legumes, low-fat dairy products, vegetables and green fruits.
With hyperhemoglobinemia, it is useful to eat sauerkraut and spinach. Such food helps to thin the blood. All dishes must be cooked in a boiled, stewed or baked form. Fried foods should be discarded.
A sufficient amount of liquid should be drunk per day, since dehydration can provoke an increase in hemoglobin. It is necessary to completely eliminate smoking and drinking alcohol.
Other treatments
For the treatment of hyperhemoglobinemia, the doctor may prescribe an erythrocytopheresis procedure. Blood is taken from the patient and red blood cells are removed from it. The purified plasma is administered back to the patient.
Hirudotherapy (the use of leeches) is an old way to treat elevated hemoglobin. In some cases, this helps to normalize blood counts, as well as lower blood pressure.
However, such treatment methods are rarely resorted to. They are shown only in the absence of the effect of drug therapy and diet.
Conclusion
We can conclude that increased 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 ignored. It is necessary to undergo additional diagnosis and treatment by a specialist.