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What Does My Lab Test Report Indicate?
I had lab work done 8 months ago, and my doctor was concerned because my blood is slightly thick? So, I had labs done again and there were some things that were high and some things that were low. My wbc was 11.4; rbc is 5.57; hgb is 17.7; hct 50.4; mch 31.8; gran# 8.0; eos 0.2; lym 22.7 and a1c is 4.6. I get dizzy rarely and feel tired almost constantly no matter how much or how little I sleep. I always drink a lot of water. I take care of myself, and I m not sexually active right now. What are some possible things that could be wrong?
Mon, 16 Jan 2017
Hi,
You did not mention your gender and age which are important factors in interpreting blood results. The hemoglobin result of 17 is the upper limit of normal for a male but is high for a female. The HCT level is high, which is the volume of blood cells in your blood. This is known as polycythaemia.
This increase in cells is caused either by a primary disorder in production of cells in your bone marrow or by a secondary cause such as smoking or training in high altitudes etc. To rule out a primary cause you will have to do a red cell mass scan and if it suggests a true polycythemia (an increase in cells), you will have to do a JAK 2 blood test. If you have a primary polycythemia and are over the age of 50, your doctor will refer you to a hematologist who might do a bone marrow biopsy to ensure there is no other co existing problems.
If a secondary cause is confirmed, you will have to stop any aggravating factors. In both instances, you should not smoke, avoid diuretic drugs, avoid combined oral contraceptives. You should drink a lot of water daily. The treatment of polycythaemia requires frequent blood tests to monitor the thickness or viscosity of the blood and depending on the value, treatment is adjusted. Treatment is in the form of oral medication or in most cases venesection which is the removal of blood to decrease the volume of cells.
Hope this helps. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Felicia Manickam
You did not mention your gender and age which are important factors in interpreting blood results. The hemoglobin result of 17 is the upper limit of normal for a male but is high for a female. The HCT level is high, which is the volume of blood cells in your blood. This is known as polycythaemia.
This increase in cells is caused either by a primary disorder in production of cells in your bone marrow or by a secondary cause such as smoking or training in high altitudes etc. To rule out a primary cause you will have to do a red cell mass scan and if it suggests a true polycythemia (an increase in cells), you will have to do a JAK 2 blood test. If you have a primary polycythemia and are over the age of 50, your doctor will refer you to a hematologist who might do a bone marrow biopsy to ensure there is no other co existing problems.
If a secondary cause is confirmed, you will have to stop any aggravating factors. In both instances, you should not smoke, avoid diuretic drugs, avoid combined oral contraceptives. You should drink a lot of water daily. The treatment of polycythaemia requires frequent blood tests to monitor the thickness or viscosity of the blood and depending on the value, treatment is adjusted. Treatment is in the form of oral medication or in most cases venesection which is the removal of blood to decrease the volume of cells.
Hope this helps. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Felicia Manickam
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