Why would your red blood cell count be high?

Have you been feeling more tired than usual? Have you noticed that your skin has a reddish tint to it? Well, my friend, you might have high red blood cell count! But don’t panic yet, let’s take a closer look at what that means and why it could be happening.

What is High Red Blood Cell Count?

Before diving into the causes of high red blood cell (RBC) count, we first need to understand what RBCs are. These little guys are the most common type of blood cells in our bodies and their main job is to transport oxygen from our lungs to every other part of the body using a protein called hemoglobin.

Now, when we say someone has a “high RBC count”, it means there are more RBCs in their bloodstream than normal. For males, an RBC value above 5.6 million/uL is considered high while for females above 5 million/uL.

Symptoms

While having slightly elevated levels of RBCs can be beneficial for some individuals like athletes or people living at higher altitudes who need extra oxygen in their system but ongoing increase beyond physiological limits may pose serious health problems.Ultra-high counts can cause several symptoms including;

  • Fatigue
  • Shortness of breath
  • Dizziness
  • Headaches
    So keep calm and check with your doctor if these start bothering

Causes

Several factors could lead to increased production or decrease removal rates of red blood cells on your body; let’s delve deeper into them:

Smoking & Alcohol Consumption

For all the smokers out there (naughty, naughty), smoking signals the body as if there were less oxygen available so therefore triggers erythropoietin hormone responsible for producing more RBCs leading trombosis formation slowly drip by drip just like nicotine itself!

Similarly alcohol reduces production level platelets that would typically help remove excess RBCs in bloodstreams but however, heavy drinking could cause dehydration which then yawns the formation of clotting by plasma becoming thicker.

High Altitude

Those who live in mountainous or high altitude environments tend to have naturally high red blood cell counts. This is because our bodies are not used to being at higher altitudes so it compensates and produces more RBCs to carry oxygen efficiently throughout the body. So if you’re a mountaineer who doesn’t smoke or drink excessively, your increased levels may very well be from your surroundings.

Kidney Problems

Kidney issues can lead to low levels of erythropoietin—which we mentioned earlier, helps create new red blood cells—for instance; Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) leaving clusters all over disrupt normal functioning causing abnormal increase† unlike COPD Chronic obstructive pulmonary Disease sufferers might have elevated count due hypoxemia –

Dehydration & Lack Of Sleep

If you happen not getting enough sleep continuously for many nights or dehydrate frequently during intense physical activity such as jogging after work hours – listen up pal! Both contribute severely maybe chronic issue down road like Type 2 diabetes symptoms

Another point worth noting is the possibility of both factors combined means “double trouble”. Better be careful🔴 .

Diagnosis & Treatment 🔨

Now, let’s say that you just went and got a complete blood count (CBC) test only for results to reveal an elevation on the number of RBCs present waving alarm bells (that’s right folks) But no worries yet! Your doctor will most probably recommend further tests before giving any kind, treatments such as medicines:

  • Therapeutic phlebotomy;
    Removing certain amount according best practise guidelines
    proves beneficial aiding normalisation – patients come out feeling better instantly 🥳

Other standard prevention practices include simple application like regular strolls in your park, exercising within limit and drinking sufficient water.

Final Remarks

Ah! high red blood cell counts can be worrisome and lead to nasty consequences if ignored over time only due to overlooking small things so it’s imperative you check with medical professionals first, who can guide when or how severe steps need taking on a case-by-case basis
Take care of yourselves folks!

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