What does it mean when your red blood cells are low?

When you don’t have enough healthy red blood cells, you have a condition called anemia. This means your blood has lower than normal hemoglobin (Hgb) levels. Hemoglobin is the part of the red blood cell (RBC) that carries oxygen to all the cells in your body. Anemia is a common side effect in patients with cancer.

What happens if RBC count is high?

If too many RBCs are produced and released, then you can develop polycythemia. This can cause thicker blood, decreased blood flow and related problems, such as headache, dizziness, problems with vision, and even excessive clotting or heart attack.

What number is too low for RBC?

If the MCV is low (less than 80), the anemia is categorized as microcytic anemia (low red blood cell volume). If the MCV is in the normal range (80-100), it is called a normocytic anemia (normal red blood cell volume).

What diseases cause low red blood cell count?

Diseases and conditions that cause your body to produce fewer red blood cells than normal include:

  • Aplastic anemia.
  • Cancer.
  • Certain medications, such as antiretroviral drugs for HIV infection and chemotherapy drugs for cancer and other conditions.
  • Chronic kidney disease.
  • Cirrhosis.
  • Hodgkin’s lymphoma (Hodgkin’s disease)

Is having high red blood cells bad?

Potential complications of polycythemia vera are increased levels of circulating red blood cells, which increase the thickness or viscosity of the blood. This can be associated with higher risk of thrombus or clot formation leading to strokes, heart attacks, pulmonary embolism, and possibly death.

How can I lower my RBC count?

Low RBC Count Treatment

  1. Maintain a healthy, balanced diet.
  2. Take a daily vitamin and iron supplement, if needed.
  3. Exercise regularly to improve heart and lung function.
  4. Stop smoking.
  5. Avoid aspirin, which reduces clotting and can cause slow chronic blood loss.

What does a high RBC mean in a blood test?

A high RBC count tells us that there has been an increase in oxygen-carrying cells in blood. This usually indicates that the body is compensating for some condition that is depriving the body of oxygen, including: A low RBC count indicates a decrease in oxygen-carrying cells in the blood.

What causes high RBC levels?

A high RBC count could be caused by a number of health conditions or health-related factors, including: smoking. congenital heart disease. dehydration (for example, from severe diarrhoea) low blood oxygen levels (hypoxia)

What does it mean if your RBC count is high?

A high RBC count may be a result of sleep apnea, pulmonary fibrosis, and other conditions that cause low oxygen levels in the blood. Performance-enhancing drugs like protein injections and anabolic steroids can also increase RBCs . Kidney disease and kidney cancers can lead to high RBC counts as well.

What are the symptoms of a high RBC count?

If you have a high RBC count, you could experience symptoms such as: fatigue. shortness of breath. joint pain. tenderness in the palms of the hands or soles of the feet. itching skin, particularly after a shower or bath. sleep disturbance.

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