What causes RBC levels to be high?
Higher than normal RBCs may be caused by cigarette smoking, heart problems, and dehydration. They can also be caused by problems with your kidneys, bone marrow, or breathing. Living in a high altitude may also increase your RBC count.
What can cause red blood cells in urine?
Some acute causes of RBCs in urine include:
- Infections. An infection in your urinary tract, bladder, kidneys, or prostate can cause inflammation and irritation that lead to RBCs appearing in urine.
- Sexual activity.
- Vigorous exercise.
- Kidney or bladder stones.
What is the most common cause of high red blood cell count?
High red blood cell count may be caused by low oxygen levels, kidney disease or other problems.
What can happen if you have high red blood cells?
A high red blood cell count is a condition called polycythemia vera. If you have this medical condition, it means that your bone marrow is producing too many red blood cells. This can result in thickening of the blood, slow flow of blood, and eventually blood clots.
Are red blood cells in urine serious?
Most causes of blood in your urine are not serious, But sometimes red or white blood cells in your urine can mean that you have a medical condition that needs treatment, such as a kidney disease, urinary tract infection, or liver disease.
How do you reduce red blood cells in urine?
Depending on the condition causing your hematuria, treatment might involve taking antibiotics to clear a urinary tract infection, trying a prescription medication to shrink an enlarged prostate or having shock wave therapy to break up bladder or kidney stones. In some cases, no treatment is necessary.
How do you fix high red blood cell count?
High RBC Count Treatment
- Exercise to improve your heart and lung function.
- Eat less red meat and iron-rich foods.
- Avoid iron supplements.
- Keep yourself well hydrated.
- Avoid diuretics, including coffee and caffeinated drinks, which can dehydrate you.
- Stop smoking, especially if you have COPD or pulmonary fibrosis.
What does it mean if your RBC count is high?
A high RBC count may be a result of sleep apnea, pulmonary fibrosis, and other conditions that cause low oxygen levels in the blood. Performance-enhancing drugs like protein injections and anabolic steroids can also increase RBCs . Kidney disease and kidney cancers can lead to high RBC counts as well.
What is the normal range for RBC in the urine?
The reference range for RBCs in normal urine is 0-3 RBC/high power field (hpf) in males and 0-12 RBCs/hpf in females when concentrated urine sediment is examined.
What does an elevated RBC mean?
High red blood cells count may result from impaired ability of the cells to carry oxygen. Elevated RBC value occurs at high altitudes due to low ambient oxygen levels. Strenuous exercises can also cause enhanced red blood cells production because increased muscle mass requires more oxygen.
Is blood in urine a bad thing?
Bad things can cause blood in the urine off and on, so just because the blood went away does not mean everything is fine. In fact, bad things may be quietly growing, giving out little warnings now and again. The problem is not blood in the urine itself. Rather blood in the urine is a sign of something.