Anyone have high red blood count And what could it mean

[Juliew123]

[cedric]

I have had high white blood cells and low red blood cells but fine now it could be infection

[AllyGY2013]

Hi Juliew123,

I don't have a high red blood count and I'm not a medical professional but my understanding is that this can occur for several reasons such as dehydration which means there is less water in your system hence less plasma so the ratio of red cells appears higher, also poor heart or lung function means less oxygen circulating so the red cells raise to compensate for this, or the cells just can't carry enough oxygen, the kidneys can release too much of a protein and so the body produces more red cells, the bone marrow just might be producing more red cells, some steroids (anabolic ones I think) can also raise the production of red cells.

Also being overweight, dehydration, stress, smoking, high blood pressure and alcohol can cause a temprary raise in red blood cells so by addressing and sorting out these problems i.e. stopping smoking or losing weight etc the red cell count can return to normal.

If you have a high red blood count I would suggest that you ask your GP or specialist to discuss what might be the root cause and what can be done to sort it.

I hope I've helped and not muddied the waters, I'm sure someone with more knowledge than me might be able to explain better.

All the best

Ally