The main parameters are the total number of erythrocytes in peripheral blood and hemoglobin levels of a protein which is located in red blood cells and transfers to the tissues and organs of oxygen. Increasing the amount of red blood cells and hemoglobin level is not always due to a pathological condition or disease of the body, it is possible the so-called physiologic polycythemia arising in trained subjects or inhabitants of the highlands as adaptive response. This is due to the fact that the erythrocytes and the hemoglobin contained therein, must move large volumes of oxygen to the organs and tissues.
All other cases erythrocytosis and increase in hemoglobin levels can be attributed to two groups of pathological conditions of the organism, one of which is directly connected with the damage of hematopoietic organs, and the second occurs when diseases of other organs and systems. Both groups of diseases are in need of additional diagnostics, because an excess of red blood cells and hemoglobin is less harmful to the body than the lack of them.
Diseases of the blood-forming organs, which can cause an increase in these parameters, in turn, can be divided into red blood pathology only germ and tumor disease, which affects all the cells of hematopoiesis - leukemia, cancers of the blood system.
Hemoglobin level and the total number of red blood cells may increase with B12 deficiency anemia, polycythemia primary benign, hereditary family polycythemia, caused by genetic defects. For malignant tumors of blood, which can cause polycythemia and increased hemoglobin include myelofibrosis, malignant erythremia and some variants of leukemia.
Diseases of other organs and systems in which increases the number of red blood cells, are limited to certain chronic lung diseases (as the body tries to compensate for the lack of function of the respiratory system), congenital heart disease, especially with large circulatory disorders in large and small circle, and some tumor malignant kidney disease (with which increases the level of a hormone which causes an increase in red blood cells and to increase their number - EPO) and can also be observed in patients after renal transplantation.
In any case, this state can not be considered the norm, so the patient who has a clinical blood test showed high hemoglobin and polycythemia, should be directed to consult a hematologist.