rapid drop in hemoglobin?

Question

Wondering what could cause a really rapid drop in hemoglobin, I had bloodwork taken in the morning(dr's appt) and in the evening(12 hours later) I had to go to the ER because I felt like utter crud(weak, dizzy) at the ER they said my hemoglobin was 30, it was 36 in the morning. (they could access that info because it was all the same medical center) No apparent cause of bleeding(stool check negative) so I hope its nothing really bad but I guess I should go to my doctor to follow it up. I don't drink, do drugs, or anything I can think of that would make it drop like that.

Answer 1

Hemoglobin is the oxygen-carrying pigment or protein of red blood cells that gives them their red color and serves to convey oxygen to the tissues.

Normal range for Females 18 yr and up is 11.5 - 15.0 g/dL

Normal range for Males 18 yr and up is 12.5 - 17.0 g/dL


The single most important measure of oxygen in our blood is called the Hematocrit.

Hematocrit

Hematocrit is the volume of red blood cells as a percentage of total blood volume.


Like a fireplace, our body needs sufficient oxygen to burn food and produce energy efficiently. A lack of oxygen can cause a lack of concentration, exhaustion, migraine headaches, problems with digestion, poor muscle tone, a weak immune system, accelerated aging, and chronic degenerative diseases such as cancer. The value is expressed as a percentage or fraction of cells in blood. For example, a Hematocrit value of 40% means that there are 40 milliliters of red blood cells in 100 milliliters of blood.


The Hematocrit reflects both the number of red cells and their volume (MCV). If the size of the red cell decreases, so will the Hematocrit and vice versa.


The Hematocrit rises when the number of red blood cells increases or when the plasma volume is reduced, as in dehydration. The Hematocrit falls to less than normal, indicating anemia, when your body decreases its production of red blood cells or increases its destruction of red blood cells (hemolysis) or if blood is lost due to bleeding.



Normal adult male range is 42–52%,

Normal adult female 36–48%.


Now, in your particular case, the HCT (hematocrit) result of 36% drawn that morning might be elevated as you might be dehydrated. (Unless the lab committed an error) Because, the blood was concentrated, After adequate hydration and repeat testing-the low HCT result of only 30% in the afternoon might be the more accurate or reliable result.;( even though it was low.)


it's impt to consider other factors and blood values in the CBC and not only the Hgb ( Hemoglobin) and the HCT.(Hematocrit).


The mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and the red cell distribution width (RDW) can be quite helpful in evaluating a lower-than-normal hematocrit, because it can help the clinician determine whether blood loss is chronic or acute. The MCV is the size of the red cells and the RDW is a relative measure of the variation in size of the red cell population.


A low hematocrit with a low MCV with a high RDW suggests a chronic iron-deficient erythropoiesis, but a normal RDW suggests a blood loss that is more acute, such as a hemorrhage


Significant hemorrhage from let's say an ectopic pregnancy, ruptured ovarian cyst, trauma injury, surgery, GI Bleeding are life -threatening conditions and require immediate medical attention.


There have been cases where the blood for testing was inadvertently drawn from the same arm with the intravenous (IV) line running in a transfusion of packed red cells(RBC). In this sample, the hemoglobin measurement will be high because it is measuring the fluid being transfused (that is, mostly red cells) rather than the diluted serum. In this case, the hematocrit measurement will be artificially very high.


Conversely, if blood for hematology testing is drawn from a site proximal to that of an intravenous line infusing fluids into a patient, the blood sample will be diluted by those fluids and the hematocrit will be artificially low.



Now, let's go to possible reasons for your low HCT:

A low hematocrit is referred to as being anemic. There are many reasons for anemia. Some of the more common reasons are loss of blood (traumatic injury, surgery, bleeding colon cancer), nutritional deficiency (iron, vitamin B12, folate), bone marrow problems (replacement of bone marrow by cancer, suppression by chemotherapy drugs, kidney failure), and abnormal hematocrit (sickle cell anemia).


I'm sure in time with appropriate medical intervention such as iron supplements including Vit B12 shots and iron-rich diet, your HCT will improve. to acceptable range.


The dizziness and weakness you experience while in ER might be due to hunger, hypoglycemia or low blood sugar and anxiety.


I hope this detailed reply adequate answers your question. Good Luck!

Answer 2

Only 4 things essentially cause a "rapid" drop in hemoglobin/hematocrit.
1. Is lab error (either the first or the second sample).
2. Loss of blood--ie:bleeding. This can be in your GI tract; into a cavity (such as ovarian cyst bleeding into the pelvis), a heavy period, a broken bone, a ruptured spleen--you get the picture. The point is, blood loss can be in more places than just into the GI tract (and a stool check may not pick it up for awhile if it is an upper GI bleed--as the poop at the far end formed before the bleeding took place).
3. Dilution--too much oral or IV fluids that diluted out the number or red cells.
4. Destruction of red cells--this is called hemolysis--more uncommon.
The anemia that the other responders are talking about is more the kind that occurs over time due to diet, iron depletion, chronic illness etc.
What I would do, is repeat the hemoglobin/hematocrit. If you remain symptomatic (and the symptoms you describe fit in with a rapid blood drop); and the hemoglobin is low/falling; than a very aggressive source of the loss needs to be undertaken, as this is NOT normal at all. Hopefully, it will have been a lab error...good luck

Answer 3

You could have had what we call a false drop. The first Hemoglobin (but I think you are talking about your hematocrit because if your hemoglobin was 30, your blood would not flow through your veins)....were you dehydrated in any way? If you are dehydrated your blood is concentrated causing a falsely high result. If after you had that blood work done and you begin to rehydrate, you could have diluted your blood back out and that could cause the drop in your hematocrit. Unless that was the case, the only other reason would be bleeding. Usually that is what happens. I wouldn't worry.

Answer 4

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RE:
rapid drop in hemoglobin?
Wondering what could cause a really rapid drop in hemoglobin, I had bloodwork taken in the morning(dr's appt) and in the evening(12 hours later) I had to go to the ER because I felt like utter crud(weak, dizzy) at the ER they said my hemoglobin was 30, it was 36 in the morning. (they could...

Answer 5

Most likely it is caused by anemia. I am anemic, the biggest problem is it makes you more susceptible to illness, and you can often feel weak and dizzy. the good news is that It's fairly easy to control though, so you should be fine.

Iron supplements. Iron rich foods as well, lots of green veggies. that's all you really need. it will get you back up to normal. if your hemoglobin is low right now though, try to rest up for a few days and avoid stress.

Answer 6

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there are numerous reasons for anemia. Serum feritin is the most accurate measure of iron in the blood supply so don't worry until those results are in. I would really need to know your age and gender before giving an explanation. It may not be Iron Deficiency anemia, it could be that you have low vit B12, low intrinsic factor, internal hemorrhage (unlikely though), menstruation ect. again though serum ferritin is the accurate measure of Iron wait until you get these results before worrying too much.

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Answer 8

My hemoglobin has dropped from 12.3 nine days ago, to 11 six days ago, to 10 five days ago. Colonoscopy showed clean. I feel like death warmed over and am scared to death.

Answer 9

Anemic?

Answer 10

Anemia, don't let it get out of hand.

Talk to a doctor and say "Anemia".