Why haemoglobin content is more in males

Sideroblastic anemia is a group of blood disorders. In all cases, the bone marrow has difficulty producing normal, healthy red blood cells. The presence of Heinz bodies on a blood smear test indicates oxidative damage to the hemoglobin in red blood cells. Conditions associated with Heinz…. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Medically reviewed by Debra Sullivan, Ph.

What causes high hemoglobin levels? What are low hemoglobin levels? What about hemoglobin A1c? The bottom line. Read this next. How to Raise Your Hemoglobin Count. Medically reviewed by Deborah Weatherspoon, Ph. Signs of Iron Deficiency.

Medically reviewed by Alana Biggers, M. Medically reviewed by Angela M. What Is Sideroblastic Anemia? Medically reviewed by Kevin Martinez, M. What Are Heinz Bodies? Mean red cell mass and hematocrit levels are higher in men than women. How or why this is the case has never been explained. If decreased erythropoiesis due to iron loss or blood loss in females or increased erythropoiesis due to androgens in males were causative, there would be a feedback effect on erythropoietin production, resulting in lower erythropoietin levels in males.

However, reference ranges for erythropoietin are not different between the sexes. This indicates that females have higher levels of tissue oxygenation for a given red cell mass. This, in turn, suggests that females must have more efficient tissue red cell delivery.

In addition, the curves for males and females were parallel: they did not overlap Figure 1 A. When analyzed by age cohort, the mean capillary-venous hemoglobin gap in females increased after the age range of 45 to 50 years. In males there was gradual decline with age Figure 1 B. Differences between venous and capillary hemoglobin levels in men and women. That a gap exists between the capillary and venous hematocrit is well described. The total body hematocrit is approximately 0. The gap is higher on average in males and increases as capillary red cell content declines.

Above the age range of 45 to 50 years in women, the gap increases toward the level found in men. Possible causative or contributory mechanisms include rheologic effects, including sex differences in blood flow speeds, and changes in blood viscosity with red cell concentration. It may also contribute to lower rates of cardiovascular disease in premenopausal women, and may have important consequences for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases and anemias, and for blood transfusion.

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Please try again. Something went wrong on our side, please try again. Show references Hemoglobin. Lab Tests Online. Accessed Dec. Blood basics.

American Society of Hematology. Blood tests. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.