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Polycythemia has many causes. It can describe an increase in the number of red blood cells [ 1 ] ("absolute polycythemia") or to a decrease in the volume of plasma ("relative polycythemia"). [ 2 ] Absolute polycythemia can be due to genetic mutations in the bone marrow ("primary polycythemia"), physiologic adaptations to one's environment ...
A hemoglobin test measures the amount of hemoglobin in your blood. If a hemoglobin tests shows that a person's levels are below normal, it means they have a low red blood cell count, which is known as anemia. If the test shows higher levels than normal, it means they have hemoglobinemia. [citation needed] The normal range for hemoglobin is:
Iron is an essential part of hemoglobin, and low iron levels result in decreased incorporation of hemoglobin into red blood cells. In the United States, 12% of all women of childbearing age have iron deficiency, compared with only 2% of adult men. The incidence is as high as 20% among African American and Mexican American women. [75]
Other disorders which cause macrocytosis without DNA replication problems (i.e., non-megaloblastic macrocytic anemias), are disorders associated with increased red cell membrane surface area, such as pathologies of the liver and spleen which produce codocytes or "target cells" which have a central collection of hemoglobin surrounded by a pallor (a thin area) then followed by a thicker ...
The sigmoidal shape of hemoglobin's oxygen-dissociation curve results from cooperative binding of oxygen to hemoglobin. Hence, blood with high carbon dioxide levels is also lower in pH (more acidic). Hemoglobin can bind protons and carbon dioxide, which causes a conformational change in the protein and facilitates the release of oxygen.
Folate and vitamin B 12 deficiency anemia usually presents with high RDW and high MCV. Mixed-deficiency (iron + B 12 or folate) anemia usually presents with high RDW and variable MCV. Recent hemorrhages typically present with high RDW and normal MCV. A false high RDW reading can occur if EDTA anticoagulated blood is used instead of citrated blood.
The pigment is a greenish derivative of hemoglobin which cannot be converted back to normal, functional hemoglobin. It causes cyanosis even at low blood levels. It is a rare blood condition in which the β-pyrrole ring of the hemoglobin molecule has the ability to bind irreversibly to any substance containing a sulfur atom.
Normal levels range from 2.1-3.2%, but in the beta-thalassemia disorder, the levels increase to 3.5-6.0%. Additionally, individuals with beta-thalassemia exhibit a high red cell count and low hemoglobin levels. [3] Individuals that express lower levels of hemoglobin A2, have the a 0-thalassemia trait or homozygous gene for a +-thalassemia. [2]