What do low RBC levels indicate?

A low RBC count could also indicate a vitamin B6, B12 or folate deficiency. It may also signify internal bleeding, kidney disease or malnutrition (where a person’s diet doesn’t contain enough nutrients to meet their body’s needs).

What does it mean when HGB is low?

What is low hemoglobin? A hemoglobin count that is a little bit lower than normal is typical for some people and may not indicate a problem. However, a hemoglobin count that is significantly lower than normal may mean that you have anemia. Hemoglobin (abbreviated Hb or Hgb) is a protein found in red blood cells.

What happens if RBC count is low?

When you don’t have enough healthy red blood cells, you have a condition called anemia. This means your blood has lower than normal hemoglobin (Hgb) levels. Hemoglobin is the part of the red blood cell (RBC) that carries oxygen to all the cells in your body. Anemia is a common side effect in patients with cancer.

What are the symptoms of low RBC?

If you have a low RBC count, symptoms could include:

• fatigue.
• shortness of breath.
• dizziness, weakness, or lightheadedness, particularly when you change positions quickly.
• increased heart rate.
• headaches.
• pale skin.

What does a low HGB mean?

Low Hgb is also known as anemia, which means that you don’t have enough red blood cells in your body. With anemia, a blood test will also show that you have a low red blood cell count and may have low hematocrit, the volume of red blood cells to other components in your blood.

What is considered dangerously low RBC?

Anything below 4.5 to 5.5 million RBCs per microliter (mcL) in men, and 4.0 to 5.0 million RBCs per microliter (mcL) in women, is considered to be a low RBC count.

What does it mean if your RBC and hemoglobin are low?

But if you have low hemoglobin count, that could make your RBC count either normal or abnormal. But of course, these two counts are different. A low count in RBC may indicate hemorrhage or bleeding, failure in the bone marrow or a tumor, or anemia.

What causes low RBC and hemoglobin?

Low RBC counts, hemoglobin and hematocrit levels can be caused by other things too, such as a lot of bleeding or malnutrition (not enough nutrients in the food eaten). Kidney disease, liver disease (cirrhosis), cancer, and medications used to treat cancer can also cause low levels.