Why is there more than one test for red blood cell counts?
There are several ways that doctors commonly measure red blood counts:
- Red blood cell count. This test counts the number of red blood cells in a single drop (a microliter) of blood. As a general guideline, consider the normal range to be 4.5 to 6.2 million for men; 4.2 to 5.4 million for women.
- Hemoglobin. This test measures the red-pigmented protein that carries oxygen. Normal range for red blood count is 14 to 18 grams per deciliter in men; 12 to 16 grams per deciliter in women. When someone's hemoglobin drops below 10 grams per deciliter, he's considered anemic.
- Hematocrit. This test measures the percentage of total blood volume made up of red blood cells. Normal range is 40 to 52 percent for men; 35 to 47 percent for women.
A complete red blood count usually includes additional measures of the size, capacity, and number of red blood cells. The doctor will usually order a battery of tests to get a complete picture of the health of a patient's red blood cells. For example, a low hematocrit in combination with low hemoglobin may indicate iron deficiency, while a high hematocrit can indicate dehydration.
Can I help prevent someone's red blood count from dropping?
There are medications called cell growth factors (also called colony stimulating factors) that can be given along with chemo or radiation to prevent red blood counts from dropping. The growth factor that boosts production of red blood cells is epoetin or darbepoetin (brand names Procrit, Epogen, Aranesp). Growth factors can take between two and eight weeks to work, so they're not a solution for dramatic red blood cell loss. There's also a risk of side effects, so a patient's doctor will decide whether to prescribe cell growth factors based on her assessment of the patient's risk of developing a low red blood count.
Get as much information as you can from the doctor about the chemo regimen of the person you're caring for and the effect you can expect it to have on his red blood count. "Some drugs reduce the red blood cell count by 25 percent immediately; some drugs take a week before the count start to drop. Every drug and regimen is different," says Terry Anders, an oncology nurse at the Zangmeister Cancer Center in Columbus, Ohio. Because side effects include fluid retention and heart palpitations -- both of which can worsen heart conditions -- the doctor will take into account whether the patient has heart problems when deciding whether to prescribe Procrit or other growth factors. Other side effects include diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and upper respiratory infection. In addition, Procrit can cause shortness of breath and edema, so if the person you're caring for already has these problems, the doctor may be conservative about prescribing it.
knowing what to exspect my count to be if I have cancer. I may have colon cancer.
This article was very helpful to me to understand what my daughter is going thru with chem.
Hi rosimomm, Thank you for your question. We have a wonderful Ask & Answer section where you can post your question. You can post your question, here: ( http://www.caring.com/ask ). I hope that helps. Take care -- Emily | Community Manager
my red blood cells were at 25. What does that mean.
Hi James C.M., Thank you for your comment. If you would like, you can post your question in our Ask & Answer section, here: ( http://www.caring.com/ask ). Take care -- Emily | Community Manager
To Marilyn Hind I did only one hitch in the Air Force many years ago, but what little experience I had with doctors then suggests that your daughter will get exelent care in the military
Very informative. I would like to know about cancer due to radiation treatment for prostate cancer. That is, does cancer occur in the pelvis as a consequence of the radiation treatment for the prostate cancer?
i lost over 40 punds in 9 months. I have no appetite for food because I have been under a lot of stress. I had an anxiety attack and I am afraid. I will be seeing a hemotologist
Hi brenda, Thank you very much for your question. Unfortunately, we are unable to diagnose medical problems for our site members. We suggest that you contact your father's doctor right away regarding his medical issue. We hope our informational site will be of help for you in the future. Take care -- Emily | Community Manager
help my father takes procrit for low red cell count he dont not have cancer. is there another drug that can be taken. procrit is not helping he been taking it for months.
very very helpful!!!
Low red blood cell count can mean internal bleeding. Like cancer of colon.
Hi Anonymous, thanks for your question. I found a few resources that might be useful to you: Blood Count section (http://www.caring.com/blood-count), What are causes of low blood count, red and white (http://www.caring.com/questions/causes-of-low-blood-count), Managing Low Red Blood Counts (http://www.caring.com/articles/low-red-blood-count). I hope that helps. -- Emily
i want to know more about low red cell in my blood and whats is the main problem
I have had a sort of low red blood count for years, could this be normal?
Please guide me about my problem. Iam Patient of 5-6 Red cells pass out in my Urine. I have still not found any Doctor, who will provide me a better treatment. I have been pass 2 years. Kindly provide to me the treetment.
My sons doctor recently told me his red blood cell count was low. However your post only informs you of cancer therapy & anemia that would be causes to low red blood count. My son has been checked and is not anemic. He also has not had any cancer therapy or treatment at all.
what if you dont have cancer but your rbc and wbc are low due to a kidney infection and now does not have the infection but the rbc and wbc are low, what else should one due.
my daughter continues to have low red blood cell count---8.0. She had blood that pooled around her heart and the cardio surgeon drain it but she still has low red blood cell count. It's been over a month now and she is taking mega doses of iron but no changel. She had Hodgins disease 20 years ago and they did biopsies while she was in the hospital recently but supposedly didn't find anything --also full CAT scan. I'm scared for her. She is in the Army so I worry about the quality of med attention she is getting. What can she do to get her RBC count up???