Red blood cells are a very important component of human blood. If the red blood cells are low, it is anemia, but if the red blood cells are much higher than the normal value, it is also a problem. Under normal circumstances, red blood cells are maintained at a relatively stable level. What would happen if there is a high level of red blood cells?
Red blood cells contain a large amount of hemoglobin (Hb), and the function of red blood cells is mainly accomplished by hemoglobin. Hemoglobin not only functions as a blood buffer, but also carries oxygen (O2) and carbon dioxide (CO2).
Elevated red blood cells can occur in normal or pathological conditions.
Physiological elevation: Residents living in high-altitude areas often have higher red blood cells and hemoglobin levels than those living in plain areas. Drinking too little water or sweating too much can lead to temporary blood concentration, resulting in mild elevation of red blood cells and hemoglobin. Newborns have physiological elevation.
Pathological elevation:
(1) Severe vomiting, diarrhea, excessive sweating, large area burn patients, diabetes insipidus, hyperthyroidism crisis, diabetes acidosis, etc. Due to excessive water loss in plasma, blood concentration will result, and the amount of red blood cells and hemoglobin will increase significantly.
(2) Chronic heart disease, pulmonary heart disease, cyanotic congenital heart disease, and other conditions result in compensatory increases in red blood cells and hemoglobin levels due to tissue hypoxia and increased levels of erythropoietin in the blood.
(3) Certain tumors, such as kidney cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, uterine fibroids, ovarian cancer, and renal embryonal carcinoma, can also cause a non compensatory increase in erythropoietin, leading to the aforementioned results.
(4) Polycythemia vera is an unexplained hematological disorder characterized by an increase in red blood cells.
This article provides a detailed introduction to the situation of increased red blood cells. Through the introduction, it can be known that elevated red blood cells are actually an abnormal condition, which can be divided into physiological elevation and pathological elevation. If it is a pathological elevation, active measures need to be taken for treatment. Don't think that an increase in red blood cells is not a big problem.
