High hemoglobin, also known as polycythemia, is a health problem that occurs when the body produces too much hemoglobin, the compound that gives red blood cells their color and carries oxygen throughout the body.

High hemoglobin levels in the blood can increase the risk of blood clots.

Symptoms of high hemoglobin in females may include dizziness, fatigue, headaches, easy bleeding, swollen joints, increased sweating, yellowing of the whites of the eyes, and unexplained weight loss.

What is High Hemoglobin and Its Risks for Women?

Hemoglobin is the protein found in red blood cells and is responsible for carrying oxygen to all parts of the body.

Some may think that its increase above the normal rate can benefit the body, but this is not true. This increase has many undesirable complications such as:

• Blood clots: Blood density increases with increased hemoglobin, which increases the risk of clots and causes serious health problems such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism.
• Heart diseases: Increased blood density increases the burden on the heart in pumping blood, which causes heart attacks.
• Strokes: Increased hemoglobin increases the risk of strokes, especially in the case of high blood pressure or if the patient is a smoker.
• Pregnancy complications: High hemoglobin increases the risk of high blood pressure during pregnancy and preeclampsia. (Tapio, Vähänikkilä, Kesäniemi, Ukkola , & Koivunen , 2021)

Symptoms and Causes of Elevated Hemoglobin in Females

Symptoms of high hemoglobin in females may not be clear at first, which increases the importance of conducting periodic examinations. As the condition worsens, the patient may show the following symptoms:

• Fatigue: Blood viscosity reduces the ability of cells to transport oxygen to parts of the body, causing a feeling of fatigue.
• Headache and dizziness: The passage of viscous blood in the blood vessels in the brain causes headaches and dizziness.
• Shortness of breath: A symptom of high hemoglobin in the blood.
• Yellowing of the whites of the eyes (jaundice): A result of increased levels of bile resulting from the breakdown of red blood cells.
• Unexplained weight loss: A result of loss of appetite and increased metabolic rates, or the presence of some invisible health problems such as polycythemia vera.
• Joint pain: Swollen joints are a symptom of high hemoglobin levels in the blood.
• Itching: Especially when bathing with warm water.

Some factors can cause high hemoglobin levels, such as:

Dehydration: Not drinking enough water and being exposed to dehydration can increase blood concentration and raise hemoglobin levels.

Smoking: Smoking increases the number of red blood cells and hematocrit, which causes an increase in hemoglobin levels in the blood.

Chronic Lung Disease: A condition that causes the body to produce more red blood cells to compensate for the lack of oxygen in the body.

Polycythemia Vera: A rare disease in which the bone marrow produces more red blood cells, which increases hemoglobin levels in the blood.

Kidney diseases: Which cause disturbances in the regulation of the body’s production of blood cells.

Read Also: Medications for Anemia and Nutritional Treatments

Medical Treatment and Lifestyle Adjustments

Treatment for high hemoglobin levels depends on the cause behind it.

Here are some common treatments:

Phlebotomy: During which a quantity of blood is removed and is usually used for those with polycythemia vera.

Medications: Which work to make the body slow down the process of producing red blood cells to improve the hemoglobin level and keep it within safe limits.

Treatment of underlying diseases: Such as lung or kidney diseases that cause high hemoglobin levels. (Shaw & Berg, 2020)

Lifestyle Adjustments

If you suffer from symptoms of high hemoglobin in females, you can do the following:

• Drink plenty of water and fluids and avoid dehydration.
• Eat a healthy, balanced diet that contains high levels of vegetables and fruits.
• Avoid smoking.
• Do moderate exercise regularly.
• Do not overdo it with iron through food or supplements.

Read Also: Iron Deficiency Without Anemia

References

Shaw , G., & Berg, R. (2020). PubMed. Retrieved from Beyond Hemoglobin: When and How to Work Up Possible Polycythemia Vera: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7153800/

Tapio, J., Vähänikkilä, H., Kesäniemi, Y. A., Ukkola , O., & Koivunen , P. (2021). PubMed. Retrieved from Higher hemoglobin levels are an independent risk factor for adverse metabolism and higher mortality in a 20-year follow-up : https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34620927/