How low does your HEMOGLOBIN level have to be before you need a couple of units!
Question: I have chronic anemia and found out yesterday my HGB count was 8.9.is this low enough to cause dizzyness? & fatigue?
Answers:
it depends on the situation. if someone has a slow GI bleed, they can be asymptomatic and have hemoglobins as low as 5 or 6. However if someone is acutely bleeding, a drop from 14 to 10 may cause dizziness and hypotension. The biggest factor is if their heart rate is elevated, their blood pressure drops and they feel weak and/or dizzy.
Other Answers:
It is definately low enough to cause fatigue and maybe dizzyness. Usually doctors think seriously about tranfusions of blood when the hemaglobin level is less than 8.0, but if you are young and otherwise healthy they will sometimes hold off until it is lower. On the other hand if you are older and sickerthey may give blood sooner. It all depends on the situation, but in most cases it is 8.0.
There is not a set point at which you are required to have a transfusion. There is also not a set point at which it will cause dizziness and/or fatigue. Several different factors are involved.
One such factor that may be involved in your case is that of how quickly your hemoglobin level is dropping. If you have issues with chronic anemia and your hemoglobin is always at that number, then your body may have developed compensatory mechanisms to deal with that. For example, people with sickle cell disease often have hemoglobin levels that are around your level or even lower and yet they do not necessarily need transfusions. Or people in very good cardiovascular shape may be able to get by with less hemoglobin, because the heart is able to circulate that blood better. Or people who live in higher altitudes may be better at extracting the oxygen from the blood.
However, if those compensatory mechanisms become overwhelmed and your body's demand for the oxygen that the red blood cells carry is greater than the supply provided then you may start feeling fatigued. Or if the blood amount is insufficient to maintain adequate blood pressure and blood flow to the brain, that will cause the sensation of dizziness. For example, if you get shot and you lose a lot of blood quickly, that will easily overwhelm your compensatory mechanisms and lead to you feeling dizzy and fatigued.
Generally though, the medical community likes to keep hemoglobin levels around 10 or higher, especially if you have any heart problems. Again, a lot of it depends on your own specific factors.
Generally, it is usual to try to keep someone's hemoglobin to above 10 g/dL, and this can be by blood transfusion. If you have a hemoglobin that is 8.9 and you feel dizzy or fatigued, it is quite likely that your symptoms are due to your anemia, in which case it is worthwhile trying to bring your hemoglobin higher than what it is now, either by transfusion, or by the use of drugs that are erythropoiesis stimulating agents (ESAs) such as Epoetin alfa.
Do you have chronic kidney disease that is causing the anemia? If so, you should really be trying to keep your hemoglobin above 11 g/dL using an ESA.
I know that my mother can not go below 12g/dL - other wise she receives injections of Aranesp ( Darbepoetin Alfa injection) at the nephrologist as her low count is due to CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease associated with Diabetes)
Yet always remember- everyone is different. So the best advise is to seek the advise from your medical doctor.
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