Pediatric Hemoglobin

Hemoglobin is an essential molecule to children as well as adults. Hemoglobin in children is the same as hemoglobin in adults, but the metabolic needs stemming from growth and development necessitate a higher concentration in children.

Role in Anemia

• Anemia is a condition in which the blood is insufficiently able to deliver oxygen to the body. Where hemoglobin matters in anemia is when there is not enough of it. With less hemoglobin, less oxygen can be carried to the tissues. Sometimes a hemoglobin molecule can be malformed, decreasing its ability to bind oxygen molecules.

Differences From Adult Hemoglobin

• Pediatric hemoglobin is structurally identical to its adult counterpart. Where they differ is in how much hemoglobin is normally present in the bloodstream. Hemoglobin concentration is usually greatest in infants, where the range is 14 to 22 g/dl. The range decreases to 11 to 16 g/dl in older children before increasing slightly when the child reaches adulthood.

Pediatric Hemoglobin Function

• Hemoglobin serves to carry oxygen to body tissues and releases it for their use. It also carries a small percentage of the body's total carbon dioxide away from these tissues. It also transports nitric oxide. At the center of each hemoglobin molecule is an iron atom, where an oxygen molecule attaches itself during metabolic activities.