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Is Hemoglobin Level Of 129 G/L A Cause For Concern?
Question: Hi my husband is 49 and he is healthy and doesn't take any medications his iron level is normal and had a blood test about 3 weeks ago and his hemoglobin level was 129 he did another last week and it was 124 he doesn't have any symptoms of any sorts and is schedualed for a colonoscopy next week but I'm very worried and next week is a long way to wait , I guess my question is low hemoglobin always a sign of a serious deases or can it be something simple ?
Brief Answer:
could be something simple
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Normal hemoglobin in a man is: 138 - 172 g/L. It is a concern that he is low (meaning he has anemia) but it is great that he is getting a colonoscopy next week.
Low B12 and low iron are typical causes for anemia. Losses from the gastrointestinal system could be from irritation of the stomach such as gastritis or some other problem with the digestive system. Getting the colonoscopy done is the first step and if it does not give an answer then he may also need an upper endoscopy done.
Try to avoid panicking. He is young and most likely has some cause for his anemia that is very treatable.
Regards,
Dr. Robinson
could be something simple
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Normal hemoglobin in a man is: 138 - 172 g/L. It is a concern that he is low (meaning he has anemia) but it is great that he is getting a colonoscopy next week.
Low B12 and low iron are typical causes for anemia. Losses from the gastrointestinal system could be from irritation of the stomach such as gastritis or some other problem with the digestive system. Getting the colonoscopy done is the first step and if it does not give an answer then he may also need an upper endoscopy done.
Try to avoid panicking. He is young and most likely has some cause for his anemia that is very treatable.
Regards,
Dr. Robinson
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
His Iron level is normal they told us around 99 I think ,so is enimia a possibility when iron is normal ?
Brief Answer:
many causes of anemia
Detailed Answer:
Low iron is just one cause of anemia. You can also have anemia from blood loss (for example from a problem in the digestive tract), from low B12 or folate levels. You can also have anemia from a problem with the red blood cells breaking up (lysing) from a toxin or other metabolic problem.
In his case it sounds like they think it may be coming from a loss of blood in the gastrointestinal tract.
Dr. Robinson
many causes of anemia
Detailed Answer:
Low iron is just one cause of anemia. You can also have anemia from blood loss (for example from a problem in the digestive tract), from low B12 or folate levels. You can also have anemia from a problem with the red blood cells breaking up (lysing) from a toxin or other metabolic problem.
In his case it sounds like they think it may be coming from a loss of blood in the gastrointestinal tract.
Dr. Robinson
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
The doctor said just to rull out colon issues , he doesn't have any of the symptoms though nothing like dieriha or constipation or blood in his stool so everything is normal there . If the problem is digestive problem how do they treat it?
Brief Answer:
depends upon where it is coming from
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
If it is coming from the stomach, then it may be from gastritis or an ulcer and usually medications like proton pump inhibitors are used to treat that.
If it is coming from the colon, then it depends upon what they find. It can be from infection (he would likely have symptoms with this), from polyps (benign) or less likely colon cancer (unlikely due to his age).
You can become anemic due to gastrointestinal losses without having symptoms and without seeing blood in the stool.
A screening colonoscopy is recommended at 50 anyway so it is really good that he is getting that one
Dr. Robinson
depends upon where it is coming from
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
If it is coming from the stomach, then it may be from gastritis or an ulcer and usually medications like proton pump inhibitors are used to treat that.
If it is coming from the colon, then it depends upon what they find. It can be from infection (he would likely have symptoms with this), from polyps (benign) or less likely colon cancer (unlikely due to his age).
You can become anemic due to gastrointestinal losses without having symptoms and without seeing blood in the stool.
A screening colonoscopy is recommended at 50 anyway so it is really good that he is getting that one
Dr. Robinson
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Also I should mention he has a fatty liver his liver anzyms were high a few months ago but he brought back to normal with diet and exercise. Do you think that has anything to do with this issue?
Brief Answer:
unlikely
Detailed Answer:
Problems with the kidneys can cause anemia but not usually the liver.
Regards,
Dr. Robinson
unlikely
Detailed Answer:
Problems with the kidneys can cause anemia but not usually the liver.
Regards,
Dr. Robinson
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Hi
Does gastritis always come with pain or other symptoms? He has none.
Does gastritis always come with pain or other symptoms? He has none.
Brief Answer:
sometimes but not always
Detailed Answer:
Often people will have some pain or heartburn symptoms but not always. Even ulcers sometimes can cause no pain. It really depends upon where it is located. Hopefully they will find the cause and it will be something they can easily correct
Dr. Robinson
sometimes but not always
Detailed Answer:
Often people will have some pain or heartburn symptoms but not always. Even ulcers sometimes can cause no pain. It really depends upon where it is located. Hopefully they will find the cause and it will be something they can easily correct
Dr. Robinson
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Ok, so if it were a polyp how would they treat it
Brief Answer:
easy
Detailed Answer:
They can remove polyps easily when they do the colonoscopy. They can remove it with forceps right through the scope.
Dr. Robinson
easy
Detailed Answer:
They can remove polyps easily when they do the colonoscopy. They can remove it with forceps right through the scope.
Dr. Robinson
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Ok excellent thank you so much for your help
Brief Answer:
you are welcome
Detailed Answer:
I hope it is something easily taken care of
Dr. Robinson
you are welcome
Detailed Answer:
I hope it is something easily taken care of
Dr. Robinson
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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