Causes
High red cell count can be caused by low oxygen levels, kidney disease or other problems.
Low oxygen level
Your body can increase the production of red blood cells to compensate for any conditions that lead to lower oxygen levels, including:
- Heart disease (such as congenital heart disease in adults)
- Heart failure
- A condition at birth that reduces the oxygen-carrying capacity of red blood cells (hemoglobinopathy)
- High altitude
- COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) escalation - symptomatic deterioration
- Pulmonary fibrosis (red and damaged lungs)
- Other lung diseases
- Sleep apnea
- Nicotine dependence (smoking)
Drugs that improve performance
Certain drugs stimulate the production of red blood cells, including:
- Anabolic steroids
- Performing blood doping (transfusion)
- Injection of the protein (erythropoietin) that improves red blood cell production
Increased concentration of red blood cells
- Dehydration (When the plasma level is reduced, as it requires thirst, the number of red blood cells increases. This is because red blood cells are highly concentrated. The actual number of red blood cells remains the same.)
Kidney disease
Often, in some kidney cancer and sometimes after a kidney transplant, the kidneys can produce too much erythropoietin. This improves the production of red blood cells.
Excessive bone marrow transplantation
- Polycythemia vera
- Other myeloproliferative disorders