You’re looking at your recent lab report, scanning the page of numbers and abbreviations. Most things look fine, but one result is flagged: Hemoglobin. It’s a little high, and your mind immediately starts to race. What does that mean? Is it serious? It’s completely normal to feel a jolt of concern when you see a result outside the standard range. Let’s talk about what a high hemoglobin count really means, and I want to assure you that it’s something we can figure out together.
First, let’s break it down. Hemoglobin is a crucial protein that lives inside your red blood cells. It’s what gives blood its rich red color, but more importantly, its job is to grab oxygen from your lungs and deliver it to every part of your body. Think of it as the body’s oxygen delivery service.
A high hemoglobin count simply means you have a higher-than-normal concentration of this protein in your blood. This is also known as polycythemia. Often, when hemoglobin is high, another value called hematocrit is also high. Hematocrit just measures the volume of red blood cells in your blood. So, more hemoglobin usually means more red blood cells.
What’s Considered a High Hemoglobin Count?
It’s not a single number for everyone. What’s considered high can vary based on your age, sex, and even where you live. But as a general guide in my practice, we start looking closer if levels are:
- Above 16.5 g/dL for adult men
- Above 16.0 g/dL for adult women
- The numbers are slightly different for children and infants, who naturally have higher levels.
It’s also worth remembering that things like being dehydrated or even the time of day can nudge these numbers a bit. We never look at just one number in isolation.
The only way to know for sure if your levels are high is through a simple blood test. Many times, it’s found on a routine check-up.
Symptoms That Might Point to High Hemoglobin
Sometimes, a high hemoglobin count doesn’t cause any symptoms at all. When it does, the feelings can be pretty general and easy to mistake for something else. You might notice:
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
- Headaches that are more frequent or intense
- Feeling unusually tired or fatigued
- Excessive sweating, especially at night
- Itchiness, particularly after a warm bath or shower
- Joint swelling and discomfort
- Bruising or bleeding more easily than usual
- A yellowish tint to your skin or the whites of your eyes (jaundice)
Why Does This Happen? Exploring the Causes
So, the big question is: why is the level high? Your body might be making extra red blood cells because it thinks it needs more oxygen, or there might be a problem with the production process itself. We generally group the causes into two buckets.
| Category | Potential Causes |
|---|---|
| Underlying Medical Conditions | These are conditions where the body is either responding to low oxygen or overproducing red blood cells. This includes things like Polycythemia Vera (a bone marrow disorder), heart or lung diseases (like COPD or pulmonary fibrosis), and in rarer cases, certain kidney or liver cancers. |
| Lifestyle & Environmental Factors | These factors can also push your levels up. The most common ones I see are smoking, significant dehydration, living at a high altitude (where there’s less oxygen), and using certain drugs like anabolic steroids. |
How We Approach Treatment
Seeing that high number is concerning, but it’s important to know it is treatable. Our first step is always to figure out the “why.” Treatment for a high hemoglobin count is all about addressing the root cause.
If an underlying condition is the culprit, we’ll focus on managing that disease. If it’s related to lifestyle, we’ll work on changes like quitting smoking or improving hydration.
In some cases, especially with conditions like Polycythemia Vera, we may need to lower the red blood cell count directly. The primary way we do this is with a procedure called phlebotomy. It sounds technical, but it’s very similar to donating blood. We simply remove a small amount of blood to bring your levels back into a safer range. You might need this done periodically, and we’ll monitor you closely.
Take-Home Message
- A high hemoglobin count means there’s more oxygen-carrying protein in your red blood cells than normal. It’s also called polycythemia.
- It can be caused by lifestyle factors (like smoking or dehydration) or underlying medical conditions affecting your heart, lungs, or bone marrow.
- Don’t ignore it. While sometimes harmless, it can increase the risk for complications like blood clots and needs to be evaluated by a doctor.
- Treatment focuses on the underlying cause. Sometimes, a procedure called phlebotomy is used to lower the red blood cell volume directly.
- Staying hydrated, avoiding smoking, and eating a balanced diet are great ways to support your overall blood health.
Please, don’t let a number on a lab report cause you too much stress. It’s a piece of information, a starting point for a conversation. We have clear ways to investigate and manage it.
You’re not alone in this. We’ll walk through the next steps together.
