The cause of high hemoglobin (hb) and how to overcome it

Hemoglobin is one of the ingredients in red blood cells which gives it its red color. If your hemoglobin level is higher or lower than normal, you may have certain conditions. High hemoglobin levels usually occur when oxygen levels in the body decrease. What are the causes? Check out the explanation below.

What is a high Hb condition?

Hemoglobin (Hb or Hgb) is a protein in red blood cells that also contains iron. Blood is red because of the protein content of this hemoglobin. The function of Hb is to transport oxygen throughout the body, especially the lungs.

Although hemoglobin is part of red blood cells, high hemoglobin is not the same as an excess number of red blood cells. Each red blood cell may not have the same amount of hemoglobin protein. Therefore, you may have excess hemoglobin when your red blood cell count is within the normal range.

Hemoglobin also plays an important role in maintaining the shape of red blood cells. The shape of the red blood cells is almost similar to a donut, which is round and flat in the middle, but does not have a hole in the middle. The abnormal structure of hemoglobin can change the shape of red blood cells and inhibit their function and flow in blood vessels.

Low or high hemoglobin levels may occur in everyone. However, you must first know the normal hemoglobin range, which depends on age and gender, namely:

• Newborns: 17-22 gm / dL
• One week old baby: 15-20 gm / dL
• One month old baby: 11-15 gm / dL
• Children: 11-13 gm / dL
• Adult men: 14-18 gm / dL
• Adult women: 12-16 gm / dL
• Middle-aged men: 12.4-14.9 gm / dL
• Middle-aged women: 11.7-13.8 gm / dL

High hemoglobin conditions usually occur as a result of the body's reaction when oxygen levels drop. The body tries to immediately supply oxygen via Hb.

Generally, symptoms of excess hemoglobin are barely felt. Hb levels that jump in the blood are only known when doing a complete blood count.

What are the causes of high Hb?

Generally, high Hb level is not always a bad risk for health. However, people who have high amounts of hemoglobin usually occur in people who live in high altitudes and in smokers.

Here are some of the causes that make Hb levels high:

1. Dehydration

If you have been drinking less, this could be the reason your hemoglobin level has increased. This is because when you are dehydrated, your blood plasma volume will automatically increase. Now, when the volume of blood plasma increases, the amount of hemoglobin in it also increases.

Dehydration can occur if you are dehydrated or have diarrhea, which forces you to release a lot of fluids in your body.

2. Located in the highlands

High hemoglobin levels can also occur if you are at high altitudes, such as mountain peaks. When at high altitudes, hemoglobin levels tend to increase because red blood cells also naturally increase.

The increase that occurs in red blood cells is the body's attempt to compensate for the increasingly limited oxygen intake up there. Therefore, the higher the mountain you climb, the more likely it is that your hemoglobin levels will rise.

However, over time, your body will also begin to try to adapt to situations and conditions while at high altitudes. So, even if you are at the top of a mountain or live in the highlands for a long time, over time the hemoglobin level in the body will gradually decrease back to normal.

3. Smoking

Smoking habits also have an impact on hemoglobin levels in the body. Generally, the more often you smoke, the higher the increase in hemoglobin levels in the body.

This happens because the hemoglobin, which is supposed to take in oxygen, remembers the carbon monoxide in the cigarette when you inhale it. The body also feels "panic", then signals low oxygen levels, due to hemoglobin which does not bind oxygen. That is why, the body increases the hemoglobin level in response.

Male smokers have hemoglobin levels that are much different from hemoglobin levels in nonsmokers. Meanwhile, female smokers who are in their 30s have almost the same hemoglobin levels as nonsmokers. However, female smokers who are over 40 years of age have significantly higher hemoglobin levels than nonsmokers.

Although there is no clear explanation regarding the relationship between smoking and hemoglobin levels, it appears that active smokers have higher mean hemoglobin levels than those who smoke passive.

If left untreated, the ability of hemoglobin to detect anemia in the body decreases. A study published in the Annals of Hematology suggests that to avoid increasing hemoglobin levels in the body, reduce smoking.

What's more, this habit not only raises the hemoglobin level but also exerts a masking effect, which makes it difficult for hemoglobin to detect anemia.

4. Congenital heart disease

Congenital heart disease is a structural abnormality of the heart that is experienced from birth. This condition occurs mostly in newborns. This condition forms or develops when the baby is still in the mother's stomach.

This disease can cause various disorders of blood circulation, such as too much blood flowing from the lungs, too little blood flowing by the lungs, or too little blood flowing throughout the body.

This condition causes the possibility of an increase in the hemoglobin level in the body. This is because the body tries to maximize the oxygen levels in the blood needed by the body.

5. Taking hormone-enhancing drugs

The Mayo Clinic states that taking drugs to increase hormones can also trigger an increase in hemoglobin levels in the body, such as anabolic steroids or erythropoietin.

Erythropoietin is a type of drug used to increase hormones that can cure anemia in people with kidney disease. Erythropoietin can increase the production of red blood cells and hemoglobin.

Automatically, taking this drug can cause high hemoglobin due to increased levels in the body. Athletes usually take this drug to increase oxygen levels in the muscles, thereby maximizing their performance in sports.

6. Emphysema

Emphysema is a lung problem that causes shortness of breath. This includes COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) which attacks the air sacs in the lungs (alveoli).

People with emphysema experience permanent damage to their alveoli. From time to time, the inner wall of the air sac weakens and creates a large hole in the sac.

When the patient breathes the incoming air, the air sacs do not work properly. As a result, the air that is inside is trapped and cannot get out, while the new air that is about to enter has no space.

This causes the amount of oxygen that reaches the sufferer's bloodstream to decrease. Finally, in order to lack oxygen, naturally the hemoglobin level will increase.

How to reduce hemoglobin levels that are too high?

You can reduce hemoglobin levels that are too high by consuming enough mineral water. The reason is, dehydration can be one of the causes for your body to have high Hb levels.

Start quitting smoking, because usually when you stop smoking, your hemoglobin levels will begin to stabilize too. Don't forget to always do check-up to the doctor to consult and find the right treatment for your condition.