Hemoglobin is a special blood protein found in red blood cells. Performs a vital function. Thanks to it, cells and tissues are saturated with oxygen, and gases and substances are exchanged in the body. Therefore, the importance of hemoglobin cannot be overestimated. If its level drops, health problems occur. This could be due to various reasons. So it is necessary to maintain a normal protein level and know ways to restore it.
Low hemoglobin - why it is dangerous
Hemoglobin is a complex chemical component of blood, which consists of protein and iron molecules. This constituent component is part of red blood cells and circulates through the bloodstream of the human body. The main task of hemoglobin is to transport oxygen molecules from the lungs to tissues, cells and internal organs.
With low hemoglobin, oxygen saturation of the body's cells decreases, which causes a decrease in immunity, a person loses vitality, organs do not receive proper nutrition, as a result of which their functionality is significantly reduced. Tissue cells suffer from oxygen depletion.
The most important complication of low hemoglobin is iron deficiency anemia. Its severe forms can cause loss of consciousness due to a high degree of brain hypoxia.
Diagnostics
If the symptoms described above appear, especially if this is accompanied by the presence of factors predisposing to a decrease in hemoglobin, you should take a general blood test and consult a physician with its results. To confirm anemia, a repeat clinical blood test is usually prescribed. This eliminates the possibility of mistakes being made in the laboratory.
If a decrease in hemoglobin levels is confirmed, treatment for anemia is immediately prescribed. And in parallel with this, a comprehensive examination of the body is carried out in order to identify the causes of its development. This is especially important in cases where there are no obvious prerequisites for this, for example, having undergone surgery in the recent past, injuries with large blood loss, etc. For this, the following may be prescribed:
- blood chemistry;
- stool test for occult blood;
- colonoscopy;
- fibrogastroduodenoscopy;
- Ultrasound of the abdominal organs and kidneys.
Low hemoglobin symptoms
Hemoglobin levels can be easily measured using a laboratory blood test, which can be prescribed by the local physician observing the patient. If you suspect a decrease in hemoglobin, and there is no time to wait for an appointment at a city clinic, you can contact any private laboratory. Such institutions often offer discounts on comprehensive examinations. You can donate blood to such an institution any day. The laboratory will not require you to buy your own syringe and container.
Symptoms to suspect low hemoglobin levels:
- daily weakness that does not disappear even on rest days;
- pale skin;
- there is a decrease in memory;
- tremor of the limbs appeared;
- hair lost its shine and began to fall out;
- shortness of breath appeared;
- Heart rate increased even at rest.
At the first signs of a decrease in hemoglobin, you should consult a doctor or donate blood yourself to check the iron level in your blood. However, detecting a decrease in hemoglobin is not enough. It is important to determine the reason why the body lacks it.
What is the norm for hemoglobin
As is already known, the protein is found in red blood cells and is responsible for the transport of oxygen in the body.
To maintain a normal level of health, eliminate fatigue, malaise and other characteristic signs of low hemoglobin, it is recommended to regularly take a blood test to determine protein.
The hemoglobin level is different for everyone, depending on age, gender and physiological characteristics of the body. So, for men this figure is 125-160 g/l, for women 115-140 g/l. In newborn babies, the protein level is in the range of 140-195 g/l; for children one year of age, hemoglobin is 110 g/l. And at school age, the blood protein level is at least 150 g/l.
In women, during pregnancy, hemoglobin drops and this is considered normal. At this time its value is about 110 g/l.
As a rule, a low rate is associated with iron deficiency anemia, which occurs in most people, regardless of age and gender.
Reasons for decreased hemoglobin
Hemoglobin appears in the blood thanks to a balanced diet rich in iron. First of all, the attending physician must find out which diet predominates in the patient. If the patient eats meals that exclude meat, animal proteins and legumes, the first step is to restore a varied diet.
If the patient is eating a fairly healthy and nutrient-dense diet but still has low hemoglobin, a number of other tests should be performed.
If we are talking about a female patient of reproductive age, then first of all it is necessary to conduct an ultrasound examination of the pelvic organs to detect pathologies that cause heavy bleeding. In addition, it is important to understand how much a woman experiences monthly blood loss associated with the menstrual cycle. Often they become the physiological cause of decreases in hemoglobin. In this case, the gynecologist should suspect the presence of fibroids, which forces the walls of the uterus to contract intensively, causing increased blood loss.
If we are talking about a male patient or examination of the female reproductive system did not produce results, the next stage of examination should be gastroscopy and colonoscopy. These diagnostic methods will help identify internal bleeding that is not so heavy as to become noticeable, but its regularity causes a significant amount of blood lost.
The third, no less important reason why hemoglobin may decrease is leukemia. This disease is associated with a gene mutation and causes disturbances in the functioning of the hematopoietic system.
Determination of hemoglobin using the device
Today in the pharmacy chain you can find a wide selection of special devices designed to measure hemoglobin levels at home. Such a device is called a hemoglobinometer and is produced by several pharmacological companies.
Some of the most popular devices are MiniGem 540 and Easy Touch. Such hemoglobinometers allow you to determine protein levels in 10 seconds. Technique for performing home analysis:
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- using a special needle from the set, pierce your finger;
- drop a few drops of blood into a test tube;
- add hydrochloric acid (included with the device);
- pour distilled water into the device - the liquid should take on the scarlet hue of blood;
- evaluate the result obtained on a special scale and compare it with the presented age norms.
The results of the study will be reliable only if you properly prepare for the procedure yourself. To do this, you must avoid any food or drink for at least 12 hours, and also stop taking any medications.
How to compensate for iron deficiency?
A doctor should prescribe iron supplements; you should not buy them yourself at the pharmacy. “It is important to strictly follow the doctor’s recommendations. Hemoglobin and ferritin reserves are replenished slowly, up to 6 months, explains Irina Dobretsova. “Therefore, you should not stop taking medications before the end of the course or reduce the dose, even if you feel better. Sometimes, when taking iron supplements, there are side effects, such as belching and bloating. Then you can switch to intravenous administration of the drug, depending on the severity of the situation and the degree of intolerance.”
It is important to remember that preparations containing iron cannot be combined with dairy products. Calcium makes it difficult to absorb iron. It is also undesirable to drink iron supplements with black tea. But orange juice will give excellent results: vitamin C, on the contrary, helps iron absorption.
What is necessary for the formation of hemoglobin?
- The food you eat should be rich in iron.
- Normalized absorption process in the small intestine and stomach.
- Animal protein must be present in the diet.
- It is necessary to take folic acid and vitamin B12. These components are responsible for the process of creating red blood cells in the bone marrow. Accordingly, with a decrease in the quantitative number of red blood cells, the hemoglobin level will begin to drop significantly.
- For the formation of hemoglobin, the absence of pathological conditions in the hematopoietic system is necessary. That is, no congenital or acquired blood diseases.
Who is at risk of iron deficiency or anemia?
- Pregnant women, unless taking special multivitamins
- Breastfed infants if the mother was anemic during pregnancy or while breastfeeding
- Babies whose diet was introduced to pureed meat too late (this is usually recommended from 6 months of age)
- Children who actively engage in sports and do not take additional vitamin and mineral complexes
- Teenagers during hormonal changes in the body
- Vegetarians
- Fans of strict diets and fasting.
In letter and in spirit
If, during repeated blood tests, hemoglobin remains at the same level or continues to decrease, it is necessary to switch to iron supplements. For children, they are available in the form of dragees, capsules, syrups (there are also solutions for injections). For adults – in tablets and injections. There are monocomponent preparations - that is, those that contain only iron (they are usually prescribed to those who suffer from allergies) and combined ones, where iron is combined with various vitamins that promote its better absorption.
The doctor may prescribe injections in cases where the absorption of iron in the intestines is severely impaired (with inflammatory bowel diseases, severe diarrhea).
But in our country, as a rule, preference is given to tablets. Because, on the one hand, iron “in the injection” is absorbed worse, on the other (paradox!) – you can overdo it with its dosage. Which is also not good. Because iron, once it enters the body, is not removed from it itself, but lies in the so-called “depots”. Excess iron storage can trigger the development of diabetes, severe liver disease, heart disease, and even breast cancer.
Giving help
It is impossible to independently determine the root cause of a decrease in hemoglobin; this can only be determined through a laboratory blood test. Once the root cause has been established, therapy can begin. If the problem lies in insufficient iron, then normalizing your diet is not so difficult.
- Proper diet
. The food consumed should contain a large amount of easily digestible iron, as well as the catalysts it needs - folic acid, vitamins PP. Thus, you can fully restore your hemoglobin level. - Medications
. After determining the underlying cause, the attending physician may prescribe special medications or injectable vitamins (B9, B12). - Taking folk remedies.
If hemoglobin decreases slightly, then its level can be restored with medicinal herbs (peppermint, nettle, knotweed, St. John's wort).
If hemoglobin is low, you cannot try to increase its level on your own; this problem should be dealt with by a specialist. Read how to lower your blood pressure quickly without medications on our website.
Video - Low hemoglobin
Proper nutrition to increase hemoglobin
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If your hemoglobin level is low, you should include as many iron-containing foods as possible in your diet.
| Healthy foods | Variety |
| Meat and offal | Beef, chicken, beef liver, tongue |
| Cereals | Buckwheat |
| Fish and seafood | Red fish, red caviar, shrimp, crabs, mussels, oysters, kelp |
| Eggs | Egg yolk |
| Fruits | Pomegranate, feijoa, plum, persimmon, apples, bananas, apricots, peaches |
| Berries | Cranberries, wild strawberries, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, black currants, rose hips |
| Vegetables | Beets, carrots, beans, lentils, peas, pumpkin, tomatoes, potatoes, onions |
Various dried fruits can be an effective way to quickly increase hemoglobin at home. Raisins, apricots, and dried apricots contain a significantly higher concentration of iron than fresh fruits.
