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Increased Hemoglobin

According to the Mayo Clinic, increased or high hemoglobin means there's an above-average concentration of the oxygen-carrying proteins in your blood. The hemoglobin value shows your blood's capacity to carry oxygen.

  1. Normal Values

    • Labs measure hemoglobin by grams per deciliter of blood. Normal ranges depend on age, and for adults, on gender. According to SteadyHealth.com, for adult males, the normal range is 14 to 18 grams per deciliter; for adult women, it's 12 to 16 grams per deciliter. Values above these ranges signal increased hemoglobin in the blood.

    Causes

    • Red blood cells (RBC) carry hemoglobin, so increased RBC production results in increased hemoglobin. Your body compensates for low blood oxygen levels due to poor heart or lung function related to disease or from living at higher altitudes by ramping up RBC production. Your kidneys can also release too much erythropoletin, a protein that spurs RBC production. Certain medications can trigger more RBC production. Finally, a bone marrow dysfunction can increase red blood cell production, increasing hemoglobin.

    Symptoms

    • Usually your doctor discovers high hemoglobin as a result of blood tests ordered for symptoms related to lung or heart disease, or some other ailment. There are no specific symptoms connected with high hemoglobin. However, high hemoglobin can result in poor blood flow which can impair mental function and cause a bluish tint to skin on fingers and toes, and increased risk of blood clots.

    Treatment

    • Doctors consider high hemoglobin a symptom of an underlying disease, not a disorder in itself. When they successfully treat the disease, that should normalize the hemoglobin level.

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