By Hemoglobin ( Hgb ) is a protein found in red blood cells which delivers oxygen to the tissues. A sufficient hemoglobin level must be achieved to ensure adequate oxygenation for the tissues. It’s known that the amount of hemoglobin in whole blood is expressed in grams per deciliter (g/dl).
Hemoglobin level is considered low if it is less than 13.2 (g/dL) for men and less than 11.6 g/dL for women.
The main reason for low blood hemoglobin levels is iron deficiency. It can be due to problems with red blood cell production, bleeding problems, low nutrient intake and other causes.
The most common symptoms of low blood hemoglobin are feeling dizzy or fainting, headache, pale skin and shortness of breath.
Treatment of low blood hemoglobin differs according to the causes but the most common treatments are iv iron and iron supplement.
Hgb concentration differs in different people. For male, it ranges from 14 to 18 g/dL or 8.7 to 11.2 mmol/L (SI units). For females it ranges from 12 to 16 g/dL or 7.4 to 9.9 mmol/L (SI units). For pregnant females, it should be higher than 11 g/dL. For elderly, there is a slight decrease in values.
As for children, Hgb levels differs with different stages of growth as follow:
For newborn: 14-24 g/dL.
0-2 weeks: 12-20 g/dL.
2-6 months: 10-17 g/dL.
6 months-1 year: 9.5-14 g/dL.
1-6 years: 9.5-14 g/dL.
6-18 years: 10-15.5 g/dL.
What does Hgb mean in blood tests?
Hemoglobin is one component of RBC and it is responsible for its distinct red color. Hemoglobin carries oxygen to cells throughout the body, it also transports carbon dioxide from the organs and tissues back to the lungs where it is exhaled.
Hemoglobin test is a part of a complete blood count (CBC) test, it also can be measured alone.
It is usually used to detect anemia which produces adverse health effects. The Hgb test is used to know how much hemoglobin is in the blood. It is frequently used to determine if the body has low levels of hemoglobin which is a condition called anemia.
Hemoglobin tests can be also required in the diagnosis of other health problems such as malnutrition, liver and kidney disease, blood disorders, heart and lung conditions and some types of cancer.
It can also required to check response of the patient to treatment, it is an important test in prognosis process.
What is the normal level of hemoglobin for men?
The normal ranges for hemoglobin differ according to the age and gender of the person. For adult healthy men, Hgb level ranges from 14 to 18 gm/dL.
The abnormal level of hemoglobin in men is 13.5 gm/dL or lower.
What is the normal level of hemoglobin for women?
For adult healthy women, Hgb level ranges from 12 to 16 gm/dL.
The abnormal level of hemoglobin in women is less than 12 gm/dL.
What causes low hemoglobin?
There are many important causes for low hemoglobin levels, they include:
- Problems with red blood cell production
The body forms red blood cells in the bone marrow. But if there is a problem affecting the ability of the bone marrow to produce enough red blood cells, blood hemoglobin levels become low.
This problem can be due to leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, aplastic anemia and pernicious anemia, chronic kidney disease, myelodysplastic syndromes and chemotherapy.
In cases of enlarged spleen (splenomegaly), thalassemia and sickle cell anemia, low hemoglobin levels occur because the cells are dying faster than the body can replace them.
- Bleeding problems
The body is prone to bleeding in cases of heavy menstruation, bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract due to the excessive use of aspirin or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and continuous bleeding in (GI) tract from colon cancer or an ulcer.
- Low Nutrient Intake
If the body can’t absorb iron well, it will lead to a bad effect on the body’s ability to make red blood cells.
If your diet is low in iron. Your body obtains iron from the foods you eat but not all types of the iron is absorbed by the body, so the diet which has low iron content can lead to iron deficiency anemia.
You also can get low hemoglobin levels if you’re not getting enough important nutrients such as vitamins B12 and B9 which can cause pernicious anemia and megaloblastic anemia.
There are other reasons for low hemoglobin levels, they include:
- Recent gastrointestinal (GI) surgery which makes your body absorb iron poorly.
- Major changes to your body such as pregnancy and in children due to growth.
- Donating a lot of blood.
- Newborns can also have temporary anemia at the age of six to nine weeks if their body hasn’t produced enough new red blood cells and have utilized the ones they were born with. This type of anemia often resolves on its own.
- Babies can also suffer from anemia because of breaking down of red blood cells too quickly, this happens if the baby and mother have different blood.
Most newborns have a sufficient stored amount of iron in their bodies for about the first six months after birth. After six months, infants need an additional source of iron because breast milk from mother doesn’t include sufficient amounts of iron.
The baby’s diet must be concerned on iron-rich foods, iron-fortified formula, iron-fortified cereals or iron supplement drops to protect infants from getting low hemoglobin levels.
When is Hgb considered fatal?
Hgb level is considered a life-threatening and fatal condition when it is less than 6.5 g/dL.
Hemoglobin is important for the survival of a human being. Without enough hemoglobin, the body cannot functionally transport oxygen from the lungs to tissues and cells. In this situation, the heart pushes more blood to compensate for the low oxygen levels.
As low hemoglobin levels cause the heart to pump harder than usual, it can affect cardiac function because of increased stroke volume and cardiac stress which leads to a condition of tachycardia.
Overexertion of the heart because of low hemoglobin levels can result in more problems such as heart failure which can finally lead to death.
From a study published in The Texas Heart Institute Journal, scientists found a correlation between low hemoglobin and cardiovascular health.
It is clarified by focusing on iron deficiency, which can lead to low hemoglobin and its consequences on the heart.
From previous study, it is shown that severe iron deficiency can damage the left ventricle, which is a serious condition called a left ventricular (LV) dysfunction, leading to overt heart failure.
What are the symptoms of low hemoglobin levels in blood?
Low hemoglobin levels may occur with no symptoms if the decrease in anemia is mild or if the problem slowly appears.
The most common symptoms include:
- Feeling tired more often than usual during rest or with exercise. This is due to shortage of oxygen reaching the tissues.
- Headache.
- Problems with concentrating or thinking. Because of shortage of oxygen reaching the brain.
- Irritability.
- Loss of appetite.
- Numbness and tingling of hands and feet. Because of shortage of oxygen reaching the limbs.
If the anemia becomes worse, symptoms may include:
- Desire to eat ice or other non-food things which is called pica syndrome.
- Brittle nails.
- Blue color to the whites of the eyes.
- Lightheadedness when you stand up.
- Shortness of breath with mild activity or even at rest. This is due to low oxygenation of the body.
- Pale skin color.
- Mouth ulcers.
- Sore or inflamed tongue.
- Loss of sexual desire in men.
- Abnormal or increased bleeding during menstruation in females.
Low hemoglobin levels is a health problem which has a bad effect on the body and makes it not able to produce red blood cells.
A low hemoglobin levels indicate that your organs and tissues are not obtaining sufficient oxygen and it is the main cause for previous symptoms.
Is there a correlation between hemoglobin and thalassemia?
Thalassemia is an inherited health problem which passed genetically from parents to children. It is a blood disorder which happens because the body doesn’t produce sufficient amounts of hemoglobin protein which is an important component of red blood cells.
When the hemoglobin amount is not sufficient, the red blood cells in the body don’t perform their function properly and they last shorter periods of time so there are less healthier red blood cells going to the bloodstream. This will cause a condition of low hemoglobin levels.
Red blood cells are responsible for carrying oxygen to all the cells of the body. Oxygen is a type of food that cells utilize to do their function.
When the body doesn’t have enough healthy red blood cells, there is not sufficient oxygen delivered to all the other cells of the body as a consequence which may make a person feel weak, tired or short of breath.
This is a condition called anemia and in the case of People with thalassemia, they may suffer from mild or severe anemia and severe anemia can damage organs and result in death.
Different types of thalassemia can be clarified by talking about one of two things, the first thing is the specific part of hemoglobin that is affected and it is usually either “alpha” or “beta” subunits.
The second thing is the severity of thalassemia which can be clarified by words like trait, carrier, intermedia, or major.
Hemoglobin, which carries oxygen and delivers it to all cells in the body, is made of two different subunits which are called alpha and beta.
When we call thalassemia “alpha” or “beta”, we refer to the subunit of hemoglobin that isn’t being made.
In case of either the alpha or beta part is not made, there aren’t sufficient building blocks to produce normal amounts of hemoglobin.
We say alpha thalassemia in case of low alpha and beta thalassemia in case of low beta.
While using the words “trait,” “minor,” “intermedia,” or “major”, we describe the severity of thalassemia in the body.
A person with thalassemia trait may not have any symptoms at all or may have only mild anemia, while a person who has thalassemia major may have severe symptoms and may need routine blood transfusions.
Thalassemia traits transfer from parents to children. The type of thalassemia depends on how many and what type of traits for thalassemia a person has inherited from their parents.
If a person inherited a beta thalassemia trait from his father and another from his mother, he will have beta thalassemia major.
If a person received an alpha thalassemia trait from her mother and the normal alpha parts from her father, she will have alpha thalassemia trait or alpha thalassemia minor.
Suffering from a thalassemia trait means that you may not have any symptoms but you might transfer trait to your children and increase their risk for having thalassemia.
What is anemia in Hgb?
Anemia occurs in the body when the blood doesn’t have sufficient hemoglobin or red blood cells.
It can happen due to many causes. For example, the body doesn’t make sufficient hemoglobin or red blood cells.
Bleeding leads to loss of red blood cells and hemoglobin faster than they can be replenished and that will cause anemia.
Anemia can also happen because body destroys red blood cells and the hemoglobin inside them.
Anemia affects badly, it makes one tired and fatigued, it also causes heart palpitations and shortness of breath.
The main treatment for anemia is taking iron supplements and food rich in iron. In severe cases, you can take i.v iron.
How to treat low hemoglobin?
- Increasing iron intake: A person who suffers from decreased levels of hemoglobin can benefit from eating foods rich in iron which can stimulate the production of hemoglobin and help to form more red blood cells.
Iron-rich foods include soy products, meat, fish, eggs, green leafy vegetables, dried fruits such as dates and figs, broccoli, green beans, nuts, seeds and peanut butter. - Increasing folate intake: Folate is a type of vitamin B complex, it plays an important role in hemoglobin formation. The body utilizes folate to form heme which is a component of hemoglobin that helps to carry oxygen to the tissues.
If a person does not have sufficient folate, red blood cells will not be mature ones which could cause folate-deficiency anemia.
Foods containing folate include rice, peanuts, black-eyed peas, spinach, beef, avocado, lettuce and kidney beans. - Maximizing iron absorption: It is important to eat foods containing iron in foods or supplements but it is also important to help your body absorb that iron.
Foods rich in vitamin C can help with absorption of iron and vitamin C supplements can also help.
Foods rich in vitamin C include strawberries, citrus fruits and leafy green vegetables.
Vitamin A and beta carotene can also help with absorption of iron.
Foods rich in vitamin A include fish, sweet potatoes and liver.
Foods rich in carotene include mangos, carrots, cantaloupes and sweet potatoes. - Taking iron supplements: Doctors advise people with low hemoglobin levels to take iron supplements and the dose will depend on the hemoglobin level of the patient.
You should take care of having iron supplement without medical supervision as excessive hemoglobin in blood is very dangerous and leads to hemochromatosis which in turn leads to liver disease.