01 What is hemoglobin
The English abbreviation for hemoglobin is HGB or Hb. Hemoglobin is a special protein that transports oxygen in red blood cells. It is a protein that makes blood red. It is composed of Globin and heme. The Unit of measurement is the number of grams of hemoglobin per liter (1000 ml) of blood. The usage value of hemoglobin and red blood cells is similar, and the increase and decrease of hemoglobin can refer to the clinical significance of red blood cell increase and decrease.
The reference value of hemoglobin varies slightly depending on gender and age. The reference range is as follows: adult male: 110-170g/L, adult female: 115-150g/L, newborn: 145-200g/L
02 hemoglobin below normal range
The decrease in hemoglobin can be divided into physiological and pathological changes. Pathological reduction is commonly seen in various types of anemia, and common reasons include:
① Bone marrow hematopoietic dysfunction, such as aplastic anemia, leukemia, myeloma, and bone marrow fibrosis;
② Hematopoietic substance deficiency or utilization obstacle, such as Iron-deficiency anemia, sideroblastic anemia, megaloblastic anemia, erythropenia (folic acid and vitamin B deficiency);
③ Acute and chronic blood loss, such as acute blood loss after surgery or trauma, peptic ulcer, Parasitic disease;
④ Excessive destruction of blood cells, such as hereditary spherocytosis, paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, abnormal hemoglobinopathy, hemolytic anemia;
⑤ Anemia caused or accompanied by other diseases (such as inflammation, liver disease, Endocrine system disease).
When various anemia conditions occur, due to different levels of hemoglobin in red blood cells, the degree of reduction in red blood cells and hemoglobin is consistent. Hemoglobin measurement can be used to understand the degree of anemia, but to further understand the type of anemia, red blood cell count and morphological examination, as well as other indicators related to red blood cells, need to be performed.
03 Hemoglobin above normal range
The increase in hemoglobin can also be divided into physiological and pathological increases. Physiological elevation is common in high-altitude areas, and residents, fetuses, newborns, and healthy individuals living in high-altitude areas may experience an increase in hemoglobin during intense exercise or heavy physical labor. The oxygen concentration in the air at high altitude is lower than that on the plain. In order to ensure sufficient oxygen demand, the body will have a compensatory reaction, that is, the number of red blood cells will increase, which will lead to the increase of hemoglobin. This is often called “hypererythrosis”, which is a Chronic mountain sickness. Similarly, fetuses and newborns, due to the hypoxic environment in the uterus, have relatively high hemoglobin levels, which can drop to the normal range of adult standards after 1-2 months of birth. When we start vigorous exercise or heavy physical labor, we may experience hypoxia and excessive sweating, which increases blood viscosity and hemoglobin.
Pathological elevation can be divided into relative elevation and absolute elevation. The relative increase is usually a temporary illusion caused by the decrease of plasma volume and the relative increase of visible components in the blood. It is often seen in the concentration of dehydrated blood, and is often caused by severe vomiting, multiple diarrhea, a lot of sweating, extensive burns, Diabetes insipidus, and the use of large doses of diuretics.
Absolute increase is mostly related to tissue hypoxia, increased erythropoietin level in blood, and accelerated release of red blood cells from bone marrow, which can be seen in:
① Primary Polycythemia: It is a chronic myeloproliferative disease, which is relatively common in clinical practice. It is characterized by dark red skin mucosa caused by the increase of red blood cells and whole blood volume, accompanied by the increase of white blood cells and platelets.
② Secondary Polycythemia: seen in pulmonary heart disease, obstructive Emphysema, cyanotic Congenital heart defect and abnormal hemoglobin disease; It is related to some tumors and kidney diseases, such as kidney cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, Uterine fibroid, ovarian cancer, renal embryoma and Hydronephrosis, polycystic kidney, and kidney transplantation; In addition, it can also be seen in the increase of the concentration of familial spontaneous erythropoietin and the increase of red blood cells caused by drugs.
04 Hemoglobin in Sports Practice
Athletes have a wide range of hemoglobin changes, with significant individual differences. Whether high or low hemoglobin individuals, the fluctuation amplitude of their hemoglobin during exercise training is generally consistent with the degree of change in exercise load, and both remain within a certain range of fluctuations. In the process of monitoring hemoglobin, in order to provide more objective evaluation and guidance for training, individualized evaluation should be conducted on the changes in hemoglobin of each athlete.
At the beginning of high-intensity training, athletes are prone to a decrease in Hb, but the decrease is generally within 10% of their own average, and there will be no significant decrease in athletic ability. After a stage of training, when the body adapts to the amount of exercise, the concentration of Hb will rise again, increasing by about 10% compared to its average level, which is a manifestation of improved function and athletic ability. At this time, athletes generally perform better in competitions; If the Hb level still does not rise or even shows a downward trend after a stage of training, exceeding the original basic value by 10% to 15%, it indicates that the exercise load is high and the body has not yet adapted to the exercise load. At this time, attention should be paid to adjusting the training plan and competition arrangement, and strengthening nutrition supplementation.
So during the process of detecting hemoglobin, it is possible to determine the suitable major sports training, endurance training, or speed training for athletes, which can help trainers select materials.
05 Hemoglobin detection
The detection of hemoglobin requires blood sampling at the hospital for laboratory examination, and the commonly used measurement method is blood cell analyzer colorimetry. By using a blood cell analyzer, the concentration of hemoglobin can be automatically analyzed. In general hospitals, hemoglobin count does not need to be tested separately, and blood routine tests include hemoglobin count tests.
06 Portable hemoglobin analyzer
Portable hemoglobin analyzer is an analyzer that uses the principle of light reflection to detect the concentration of hemoglobin in whole blood of human capillaries or veins. Hemoglobin meter can quickly obtain reliable results through simple operation. It is a small, portable, simple to operate, and fast to detect dry chemical test strip hemoglobin monitor. With just one drop of finger blood, the patient’s hemoglobin (Hb) level and hematocrit (HCT) can be detected within 10 seconds. It is very suitable for hospitals at all levels to carry out point of care testing, and is more suitable for promotion and use in community physical examination activities. Traditional detection methods require collecting blood samples and returning them to the laboratory for testing, which is a heavy workload and inconvenient for clinical healthcare personnel to communicate with patients and their families in a timely manner. However, portable hemoglobin meters provide a better solution for this.
Post time: Jul-20-2023