Blood Drug Testing

blood tests lab results HGB and albumin levels?

with multiple myeloma we are watching blood tests closely, but have a doctor who doesn't like explaining things to me...my husbands HGB has been 12.8, then 12.5 june 11, now july 11, 12.... albumin is 3.5, not changing, does the HGB indicate iron loss? thanks for any help, every 6 months we see large cancer center out of town, but no insurance... you practically have to be homeless on the street before we can get any financial help, but since we both are self employed and try... no help at all, even though we are below low income level...sad...thanks for nay help

Public Comments

1. HGB refers to Hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is basically a little iron based protein that helps bind red blood cells to oxygen for transport around the body. Normal hemoglobin for an adult male is 13.5 to 16.5 g/dl. So he is low on hemoglobin. Low hemoglobin is a form of anemia. Anemias get further classified by the size of red blood cells. There is "microcytic" if red cells are small, "macrocytic" if they are larger than normal in size, and "normocytic" (normal). Symptoms would include fatigue, shortness of breath, etc. Low hemoglobin is often from iron deficiency, but could also be caused by blood loss. Low HGB is quite common in cancer patients, unfortunately. If it gets low enough, there are red blood cell boosters such as Procrit and Arnasep that can help push the counts up. These are basically legal forms of EPO that you hear cyclists and other athletes using illegally for performance enhancement. These are reserved, however, for fairly severe anemia because they can have potentially severe side effects. Albumin is basically a protein made by the liver. Low albumin is associate with liver and/or kidney disease. Your husband is within normal range (normal for an adult is 3.5 to 5 g/dL).