Medicine laboratory - low hematocrit

Author

low hematocrit

Richard Mandel

2004-08-15, 7:20 am

Keywords:
Hi,
I donated blood yesterday. I am 59 yo white male in generally good health.
I donate every year or two but this time my hematocrit was 39% which was
within limits for the Red Cross but which concerns me as I never
remember having low hematocrit. Is this result worth following up with
complete blood work? I haven't been eating very much red meat for the
last few years (maybe once a month). I don't want to take iron but will
take B vitamin supplements. I have been taking Folic Acid fairly regularly
for the last few years and one 350 mg aspirin daily. I will stop taking
aspirin as it is possible that I have some bleeding though that has never
been noted. I have no other symptoms of any kind and the day before the
blood donation, I rode 38 miles on my bicycle. I am going on vacation for
two weeks but will consider having some lab tests carried out when I return.
Thanks for your help.

--
Ciao,
Rich

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Robert

2004-08-15, 7:20 am

"Richard Mandel" <rmandel@bu.edu> wrote in message
news:cfmgm0$j3u$1@news3.bu.edu...
>
> Keywords:
> Hi,
> I donated blood yesterday. I am 59 yo white male in generally good
health.
> I donate every year or two but this time my hematocrit was 39% which was
> within limits for the Red Cross but which concerns me as I never
> remember having low hematocrit. Is this result worth following up with
> complete blood work? I haven't been eating very much red meat for the
> last few years (maybe once a month). I don't want to take iron but will
> take B vitamin supplements. I have been taking Folic Acid fairly
regularly
> for the last few years and one 350 mg aspirin daily. I will stop taking
> aspirin as it is possible that I have some bleeding though that has never
> been noted. I have no other symptoms of any kind and the day before the
> blood donation, I rode 38 miles on my bicycle. I am going on vacation for
> two weeks but will consider having some lab tests carried out when I
return.
> Thanks for your help.
>
> --
> Ciao,
> Rich
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
---

Gi bleeding may be asymptomatic which may give you a tarry looking black
stool. I would suggest an occult blood test on your stool. The blood work
would also help in determining further testing is needed. I would be
interested in your BUN /creat ratio and red cell indices with retic count.
They all give hints as to what may be happening.

kuhnfucius

2004-08-15, 7:13 pm

Xnay with the ironay....in men this unnecessary and may actually cover up a
developing problem.. Here (i.e. this NG), it will certainly wake up DR
MAGNETO.
Significant bleeding to cause a Noticeable lowing in HCT is not yet proven
in this case, however _Prolonged_ G.I. bleeding or from any mucous membrane
source tends to cause an elevated PLT also. First step as always, if one is
concerned, justly or not, wait a few weeks and have the test repeated . In
a repeat boarder line result or lower is resulted on repeat, note the MCV
also. PLT , HCT and MCV are part of the CBC.
--
"Robert" <Robert@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:10htiorda7617b3@corp.supernews.com...
>
> "Richard Mandel" <rmandel@bu.edu> wrote in message
> news:cfmgm0$j3u$1@news3.bu.edu...
> health.
> regularly
never[vbcol=seagreen]
for[vbcol=seagreen]
> return.
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
> ---
>
> Gi bleeding may be asymptomatic which may give you a tarry looking black
> stool. I would suggest an occult blood test on your stool. The blood work
> would also help in determining further testing is needed. I would be
> interested in your BUN /creat ratio and red cell indices with retic count.
> They all give hints as to what may be happening.
>
>

Leo

2004-08-17, 4:11 am

Why change your medication before you have had this sorted out?
I suspect you take the aspirin for your "heart" - and the vitamins for your
homocysteine....so probably "someone" has put some mind work into your
medication...you are taking this for a reason - has the reason vanished?
If you stop taking the aspirin - and your feces occult blood tests are
negative, what have you then proved?

Robert

2004-08-18, 4:09 am

"kuhnfucius" <kkuhn7no8spam@adelphia.com> wrote in message
news:wfednaZSOoHFO4LcRVn-hQ@adelphia.com...
> Xnay with the ironay....in men this unnecessary and may actually cover up
a
> developing problem.. Here (i.e. this NG), it will certainly wake up DR
> MAGNETO.
> Significant bleeding to cause a Noticeable lowing in HCT is not yet proven
> in this case, however _Prolonged_ G.I. bleeding or from any mucous
membrane
> source tends to cause an elevated PLT also. First step as always, if one
is
> concerned, justly or not, wait a few weeks and have the test repeated .
In
> a repeat boarder line result or lower is resulted on repeat, note the MCV
> also. PLT , HCT and MCV are part of the CBC.

A couple of concerns being occult blood loss or even massive blood loss can
happen without warning. If he waits weeks, as commented below, the occult
blood may be negative with the stoping of aspirin. A rapid break out bleed
can kill anybody with or without aspirin being the cause. I personally would
not wait if I knew or a possiblilty of a drop in crit. It is not confirmed
here but it needs to be looked at of ASAP.
> --
> "Robert" <Robert@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:10htiorda7617b3@corp.supernews.com...
was[vbcol=seagreen]
with[vbcol=seagreen]
will[vbcol=seagreen]
taking[vbcol=seagreen]
> never
the[vbcol=seagreen]
> for
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
work[vbcol=seagreen]
count.[vbcol=seagreen]
>
>

Richard Mandel

2004-08-18, 10:13 pm

Thank you all for your responses. I decided to see a doctor tomorrow,Thursday
six days after my blood donation. I was going to wait another week but
I have become too anxious about the possible problems. I was on vacation,
two hours from my home and since my older son was going to take a bus down
tomorrow, I decided to come up, see a doctor and take him back with me. In
addition, I seem to be running a very slight temperature today between 98.4
99.1. Of course that has gotten me much more anxious than the original
finding. In particular I am concerned about neoplasms of the white blood
cells. I don't feel any signs of tenderness or I tend to be very anxious
and think the worst but as a biochemist who studied cancer for a number
of years, it is perhaps not unreasonable.

With regard to my vitamins and aspirin, they are self prescribed. I have
chosen the higher dose of aspirin because, there was a study several years
ago which indicated that the higher dose was more effective in preventing
colon cancer. I take folate for the homocysteine lowering effect.

I have stopped taking the aspirin but have no real evidence that I was having
occult blood. The stools were not particularly black or tarilike.

I will keep you informed. I hope for a CBC, BUN, creatinine tomorrow.
Wish me luck,
Richard
References: <cfmgm0$j3u$1@news3.bu.edu> <Df2dnSKdf5AnX4LcRVn-hg@buckeye-express.com>

Organization:

JEDilworth <bactitech@nospamhortonsbay.com> wrote:
: I'm curious as to why you're taking 350 mg of aspirin a day. Both my
: mother and my husband have been advised to take aspirin daily due to
: high blood pressure, but they have been prescribed a "baby" aspirin dose
: of 81 mg/day. Was this amount prescribed by a physician or did you
: decide on the dosage? Either way, I think this needs to be reported to
: your doc and the dosage discussed with him.

: Iron should only be prescribed by a doc for a male your age. A CBC
: (complete blood count) can give your physician a lot of information. If
: you have a Hct of 39% (equalling a hemoglobin of around 13 gm) that's a
: tad low for a man. There are MANY reasons for low hematocrits. I would
: suspect that the ARC did a "spun" hematocrit when you donated (or the
: drop-of-blood-in-the-blue-stuff [can't remember what it is]) and you
: need to be rechecked with better methodology. The doc can get a lot of
: clues from a CBC that just a spun hematocrit cannot give you. A low MCV
: (mean corpuscular volume) means small red cells. There are other indices
: reported with a CBC that can help the doc determine what's going on with
: you.

: http://web2.airmail.net/uthman/blood_cells.html and

: http://web2.airmail.net/uthman/lab_test.html (scroll down for CBC
: interpretation)

: will give you some good (but technical) information about complete blood
: counts. Hematology is a very complicated subject and there is no one
: answer to the problem of low hematocrits.

: Good luck. Let us know how things come out. Lab people are always
: curious about this stuff.

: Judy Dilworth, M.T. (ASCP)
: Microbiology (but did Chemistry and Hematology once upon a time)

: "Richard Mandel" <rmandel@bu.edu> wrote in message
: news:cfmgm0$j3u$1@news3.bu.edu...
:>
:> I donated blood yesterday. I am 59 yo white male in generally good
: health.
:> I donate every year or two but this time my hematocrit was 39% which
: was
:> within limits for the Red Cross but which concerns me as I never
:> remember having low hematocrit. Is this result worth following up
: with
:> complete blood work?

--
Ciao,
Rich

JEDilworth

2004-08-20, 2:12 am

Don't forget, that if you donated blood, your hematocrit will be lower
due JUST to that. It takes your body 6-8 weeks to replace all the red
cells for one unit of donated packed cells. The MCV is a key here. If
you have anemia of long duration, your MCV will be abnormally low (i.e.
microcytic cells).

Make sure you tell your doc that you donated blood.

Judy Dilworth, M.T. (ASCP)
Microbiology

"Richard Mandel" <rmandel@bu.edu> wrote in message
news:cg11je$igm$1@news3.bu.edu...
> Thank you all for your responses. I decided to see a doctor
tomorrow,Thursday
> six days after my blood donation.

kuhnfucius

2004-08-20, 7:30 pm

JED, he just wants to worry, that is why he won't wait. One response
painting a 39 HCT in bad light that favored immediate attention did not
help. Want to bet he forgets to tell the DR. he donated one unit? Well,
just remember....WE sure do appreciate you business. Stick another dollar
in the slot please
---
Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That
way, when you criticize them,
you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

---
"JEDilworth" <bactitech@nospamhortonsbay.com> wrote in message
news:sZmdnXVLO6YC4bjcRVn-oA@buckeye-express.com...
> Don't forget, that if you donated blood, your hematocrit will be lower
> due JUST to that. It takes your body 6-8 weeks to replace all the red
> cells for one unit of donated packed cells. The MCV is a key here. If
> you have anemia of long duration, your MCV will be abnormally low (i.e.
> microcytic cells).
>
> Make sure you tell your doc that you donated blood.
>
> Judy Dilworth, M.T. (ASCP)
> Microbiology
>
> "Richard Mandel" <rmandel@bu.edu> wrote in message
> news:cg11je$igm$1@news3.bu.edu...
> tomorrow,Thursday
>

DON GATES

2004-08-21, 2:22 am

"Richard Mandel" <rmandel@bu.edu> wrote in message
news:cg11je$igm$1@news3.bu.edu...
> Thank you all for your responses. I decided to see a doctor
tomorrow,Thursday
> six days after my blood donation. I was going to wait another week but
> I have become too anxious about the possible problems. . In
> addition, I seem to be running a very slight temperature today between
98.4
> 99.1. Of course that has gotten me much more anxious than the original
> finding. In particular I am concerned about neoplasms of the white blood
> cells.

As I read, I stopped right there. The above seems to tell me you get a
little worked up over things that might be minor. Than as I read on....

>I tend to be very anxious
> and think the worst but as a biochemist who studied cancer for a number
> of years, it is perhaps not unreasonable.

Ohhhhhh, K. That explains it. By time I write this you have probabaly seen
your doctor. I hope eveything turns out well. But please try to ease your
mind some. Mental stress is a detriment to your seemingly good health, IMHO.
I do understand, though. I had a bout of bladder cancer and I tend to
monitor myself and go off a bit when I see something off kilter. But I am
getting better at keeping more positive thoughts, inspite of my work
experiences. I only wish to be as active as you at 59!

Don, MT
> Wish me luck,
> Richard
> References: <cfmgm0$j3u$1@news3.bu.edu>
<Df2dnSKdf5AnX4LcRVn-hg@buckeye-express.com>
>
>
> Organization:
>

Richard Mandel

2004-08-21, 4:23 am

kuhnfucius

2004-08-23, 2:12 am