T.G.M.Hb

[seb47]

Can anyone throw light on what T.G.M.Hb refers to on our health examination report -Hematologie? (Just so we know what we're talking about when we visit the Doc).

Cheers,

[Clair]

Taux Globulaire Moyen en hémoglobine = Number of molecule of hemoglobin per red blood cell

[Nickel]

T.M.G   Teneur Globulaire ( cellulaire) Moyenne --en Hémoglobine.

The equivalent is Mean Corpuscular ( cellular) Haemoglobin.

It forms part of a routine Full Blood Count and is the average amount of haemoglobin per red cell.

In some forms of anaemia where the red cells are smaller than usual the TMG Hb (MCH) will be lower than normal.

 

Hope that helps

 

 

 

 

[gosub]

http://www.odonte.com/articles/labo/examenslabo.htm

[seb47]

Thanks all - that's helpful. Trouble is, my count is higher than recommended. Will let you know what the Doc says!

[seb47]

Doc not worried - the count was 45 - he said if it had been 345 then he would have been.

So I beat a hasty retreat.

[5-element]

Many professional cyclists would love to have that haemocrit! This is what EPO tries to do...still, if you were a professional cyclist, you might be accused of doping...

[seb47]

Interesting!! So could you explain a little bit more about what it implies 5 element? Is it diet linked? Pity I can't ride a bike.

Cheers,

[Tony F Dordogne]

Sue, I have blood tests regularly (usually monthly unless it's urgent, then fortnightly) and the main number the docs/specialist worry about is the haematocrite number.  As already said, certain blood disorders which throw a low haematocrite number may/can indicate something like anaemia.  For me, it's a high haematocrite that is the problem.  The blood gets thicker and as the blood carries oxygen to the various parts of the body, especially the lungs, it helps athletes/cyclists metabolise the oxygen in higher volumes - the downside is that an untreated or undiagnosed persistantly high reading can also lead to stroke and heart attack so even when my blood numbers are a drug-induced ok, I still have to take large numbers of drugs to prevent strokes and heart attacks.

The norm is in the range 38 to 52.  My target reading is 45 and higher than that causes me problems, it means my spleen, which is about 10 times larger than it should be, is really overactive.  Last but one reading was 48.5 but last time, three weeks later, it was just 43.9.

The causes can be many and varied but unless there is a clinical diagnosis of a problem, the high reading can, and according to the various experts I've seen in the past 20 odd years is, often but not exclusively caused by diet.  Too much red meat of any kind, too much wine, all sorts of contributing external factors, even stress, can cause a high reading but if it's back to normal on a second test, it's just one of those things.

[5-element]

Sue, here is a link that might give you some idea:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_doping

Blood doping is the practice of boosting the number of red blood cells in the bloodstream in order to enhance athletic performance. Because they carry oxygen from the lungs to the muscles, more RBCs in the blood can improve an athlete’s aerobic capacity (VO₂endurance.

 

Low-haematocrit, for instance, goes with thekind of anaemia seen in kidney failure, which cannot be treated with iron alone. These days  treated with EPO (erythropoeietin hormone), a virtual  life-saver for many kidney patients. This EPO hormone is one of the drugs of choice implicated in doping by cyclists. Tests to detect the doping involve haematocrit readings.

At your end of the spectrum, there are other medical conditions like Tony's, which can be more or less serious - Tony, regrettably through personal experience, obviously knows a lot  about high haematocrit readings.

I have a friend who suffers from one of those conditions (I think haematochromia in his case?): he needs to have medical  treatment, also has to avoid red meat and other foods. But I also a young nephew (in his 30's) with a recently discovered, slightly high reading (I think it is the same as yours). His GP is not worried, and will simply do a repeat test in another few months. So for many people, a highish reading is not something very serious.

[seb47]

Thank you all for this information which I have cut and pasted, and will be keeping an eye on in the future. So far we've not been told to cut out red meat and red wine, but are keeping our fingers crossed. We are doing are best to stay healthy!