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Levels can vary between different testing systems and under their doctor's consultation. 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.
A complete blood count (CBC), also known as a full blood count (FBC), is a set of medical laboratory tests that provide information about the cells in a person's blood.The CBC indicates the counts of white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets, the concentration of hemoglobin, and the hematocrit (the volume percentage of red blood cells).
Anemia (also spelled anaemia in British English) is a blood disorder in which the blood has a reduced ability to carry oxygen.This can be due to a lower than normal number of red blood cells, a reduction in the amount of hemoglobin available for oxygen transport, or abnormalities in hemoglobin that impair its function.
The production of red blood cells (or erythropoeisis) in the body is regulated by erythropoietin, which is a protein produced by the kidneys in response to poor oxygen delivery. [15] As a result, more erythropoeitin is produced to encourage red blood cell production and increase oxygen-carrying capacity.
Blood tests may show fewer but larger red blood cells, low numbers of young red blood cells, low levels of vitamin B 12, and antibodies to intrinsic factor. [6] Diagnosis is not always straightforward and can be challenging. [10] Because pernicious anemia is due to a lack of intrinsic factor, it is not preventable. [11]
The mean corpuscular volume, or mean cell volume (MCV), is a measure of the average volume of a red blood corpuscle (or red blood cell). The measure is obtained by multiplying a volume of blood by the proportion of blood that is cellular (the hematocrit ), and dividing that product by the number of erythrocytes (red blood cells) in that volume.
The problem arises because the reticulocyte count is not really a count but rather a percentage: it reports the number of reticulocytes as a percentage of the number of red blood cells. In anemia, the patient's red blood cells are depleted, creating an erroneously elevated reticulocyte count. [1]
Megaloblastic anemia caused by vitamin B 12 deficiency is characterized by red blood cells that are larger than normal and are unable to deliver oxygen to the body's organs. [7] [8] The clinical case indicates an altered synthesis of DNA, in which vitamin B 12 is essential for the production and maturation of red blood cells in the bone marrow. [8]