can low b12 give low hematocrit and hemoglobin

Polycythemia vera (a blood disorder in which the bone marrow produces too many red blood cells) Kidney tumors. Health or lifestyle factors can cause a high red blood cell count. Similarly, you may ask, what can cause high red blood cell count? As the volume of fluid in the blood drops, the RBCs per volume of fluid artificially rises with adequate fluid intake, the hematocrit returns to normal. Dehydration-this is the most common cause of a high hematocrit. It will also result in a much better absorption of other nutrients that are not so commonly measured.A high hematocrit with a high RBC count and high hemoglobin indicates polycythemia. Their digestive problem can lead to other problems such as anemia.Ĭorrecting the IBS allows the digestive tract to heal and will result in a much better absorption of these nutrients.

They are not absorbing the iron and/or vitamin B12 that is in their food. This is why many people with IBS also suffer from chronic anemia. However, constipation can also the same problem absorbing nutrients can also happen with constipation. This is particularly obvious with diarrhea, which is clearly a malabsorption issue. People with IBS and related digestive problems often have a problem absorbing nutrients. The important question underlying anemia is “Why do you have low iron or B12 levels?” The answer may be that you don’t absorb them well. Vitamin B12 is also stored in the body, but its stores are unfortunately not so easy to measure. Your doctor may prescribe B12 injections, which will improve the treatment and vastly increase the amount of B12 getting into your body. If your anemia is due to a B12 deficiency, then taking B12 will solve your problem. This is another good reason to check your ferritin level. Then you are much more likely to become anemic again in the near future, which of course will cause you to be tired. If you are anemic and you take iron only long enough to correct the anemia, you likely have not built up your iron stores enough to last for very long. It can take several months of iron supplementation to rebuild iron stores. Therefore you can often prevent iron deficiency anemia by monitoring your ferritin level. Ferritin levels can be measured with a simple blood test.įerritin decreases long before iron efficiency anemia is apparent on a complete blood count. Iron is stored in the body in a protein form called ferritin. On your CBC it is noted as the MCV.Ĭatch Low Iron Levels Before You Become Anemic Vitamin B12 deficiency anemia typically shows up as an increase in the size of the red blood cells. Hematocrit (Htc), and/or low hemoglobin (Hgb). Iron deficiency anemia will show up on your complete blood count (CBC) as a low RBC count, low There are many different types of anemia, but the most common are due to iron deficiency or vitamin B12 deficiency. If you are anemic, then you will be tired because you are not delivering as much oxygen to your body as someone who is not anemic. These are the cells in your blood that carry oxygen. And anemia causes fatigue, so keep that in mind.īeing anemic and having Irritable Bowel Syndrom (IBS) is not unusual and there is a logical reason for it.įirst we’ll discuss anemia and then how it relates to IBS and digestive problems.Īnemia is a common blood disorder that is a decrease in the number of red blood cells (RBCs) and/or poorly formed red blood cells. Many of our patients who have digestive problems are also anemic due to low iron or low vitamin B12 levels.

Can low b12 give low hematocrit and hemoglobin