What Does The Following Blood Test Report Indicate?

Brief Answer:
Nothing of immediate concern

Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXXXXX thank you for using Healthcare Magic. Yes, some of your results are a bit out of range but none of it is an emergency. You should be able to wait until you see your doctor and not worry. Losing weight should be helpful as well.

I am assuming that by Hemoglobin A you are referring to Hemoglobin A1c. This is a test that measures the average blood sugar over the past several months. Yours is just slightly up. This could be within the lab margin of error. If you have had the repeat fasting and 2 hour postprandial (after eating) blood sugar test and they were normal, then I think you are okay as far as diabetes. At the worst you may be prediabetic and the weight loss should help with this.

Your triglycerides (fats in the blood) are mildly elevated. Your HDL or "good" cholesterol is low. This puts you at increased risk of coronary artery disease. You don't mention your LDL cholesterol or total cholesterol, so I presume they were normal. High total and LDL cholesterol, also increases your risk, but it appears you don't have this. The HDL can be raised by regular exercise and by quitting smoking.

The hemoglobin, hematocrit, and MCH are measurements related to the amount of red blood cell mass you have in your body. Yours are very slightly elevated (the opposite of anemia). Elevations can occur with smoking, so if you are a smoker, this is an indication to quit smoking. The red cells can increase if the body is getting less oxygen, for instance, if you live at a high altitude, smoke, or have lung disease.

There are also uncommon conditions such as hemochromocytosis that can do this. This is a problem where you body processes iron incorrectly, and iron overload can result, causing a lot of problems. This is an inherited condition, so by your age you would have had the complications by now, so I doubt you have it. Bone marrow problems can also cause this- a condition called polycythemia vera, but typically other blood cells are also elevated and yours are not.

In your case, I would be sure your lungs are okay and that you quit smoking if you are a smoker. And then just follow the tests periodically to see if they get better.

Hope this answers your query. If you have further questions, I would be happy to answer them.

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Brief Answer:
Discuss med changes with your doctor

Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXXXXX Another way of determining risk for coronary artery disease is dividing your total cholesterol by your HDL. Yours would be 138/37=3.7. This is actually less than the average risk. In fact, your cholesterol may be too low- there is some thought that too low a cholesterol may be associated with other types of risk. I think it would be important to know what your numbers were before starting you on the cholesterol medicine. Your doctor may have been aiming to lower your total cholesterol or LDL because they were high before, and now they are controlled on medication. I presume it is a statin drug you are taking. This drug can cause the cholesterol to go too low. So it is a good idea to discuss this with your doctor and see if it is okay to go off the medicine.

Your slightly raised hemoglobin and hematocrit are likely due to both the altitude and the excess iron intake. I suggest that you discuss discontinuing the iron with your doctor. Your initial low level was probably caused by blood donation (this is actually how iron overload is treated- by taking blood), but since you stopped donating but continued taking iron, you may have overshot the normal level. You may want to have your body iron levels checked to be sure they have not gone too high. Iron overload itself can cause problems. I'm pretty sure you don't need the iron supplements at this point. Hope this helps.

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