Hemolysis Index above range?

[ratbag]

I'm suffering from Low iron symptoms and hypothyroid symptoms for the last few years. Low iron is synonymous with hypothyroidism. My ferritin is at the bottom of range and I've been supplementing with iron but it's not doing anything because I'm still hypothyroid (cold in the summer + all the other symptoms).


I had an iron panel + ferritin done and was looking at the results hoping to make sense out of it all and saw that it showed my Hemolysis Index 15 (range 0-9) and it states:


The Lab results state: The following tests can be adversely affected by hemolysis:


Increase: Albumin, ALT, AST, CK, Fructosamine, LD, Na, K, Cl, Magnesium, Total protein, Triglycerides, Uric acid. (I have high triglycerides.)


Variable: Direct and total bilirubin, Iron. (My ferritin is very low 54 (50-350) and I used to have very high ferritin.)


Decreased: Alkaline Phosphatase, Amylase, UIBC


I've had elevated ALT for sometime so this is probably a result of my hemolysis being too high and possibly the reason I cannot get normal ferritin levels by supplementing iron. I've been taking 175mg iron daily and my ferritin still stays low. Once I got my ferritin to 91 by supplementing iron heavily and I was just starting to feel better but I haven't been able to get there again.


I suspect I might need to see a hemotologist about this. My father died of Leukemia when he was 61 yrs old and I'm 60 now so I wonder if this is the beginning of something. Anyone have any ideas?

 

[Vince Carter]

Iron and Ferritin are touchy subjects here, it seems in an attempt to resolve exactly what you're talking about, our guys find that it just spurs their HCT/HGB to where they can't keep up with it in 56 day donations.

 

[johndoesmith]

Hemolysis just means the blood sample for some reason was treated in a way to make the blood cells rupture.

It could be from the phlebotomists technique or improper sample storage.

It's not a state that you're in.

 

[Vince Carter]

ah so it's saying it's not a condition but the sample was compromised and then lists the factors that could be higher or lower because of it. Interesting.

 

[ratbag]

I'm not following what you guys are saying. BTW I do not give blood or go for a phlebotomy. My hemolysis index is above range... here is what wiki says:
Hemolysis inside the body can be caused by a large number of medical conditions, including many Gram-positive bacteria (e.g., Streptococcus, Enterococcus, and Staphylococcus), some parasites (e.g., Plasmodium), some autoimmune disorders (e.g., drug-induced hemolytic anemia), some genetic disorders (e.g., Sickle-cell disease or G6PD deficiency), or blood with too low a solute concentration (hypotonic to cells).
Hemolysis can lead to hemoglobinemia due to hemoglobin released into the blood plasma.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemolysis

If you read further there is a link to leukaemia which is in the family. My ALT is above range and it's not because of poor handling of my blood. This is internal.

 

[CoastWatcher]

I'm not following what you guys are saying. BTW I do not give blood or go for a phlebotomy. My hemolysis index is above range... here is what wiki says:
Hemolysis inside the body can be caused by a large number of medical conditions, including many Gram-positive bacteria (e.g., Streptococcus, Enterococcus, and Staphylococcus), some parasites (e.g., Plasmodium), some autoimmune disorders (e.g., drug-induced hemolytic anemia), some genetic disorders (e.g., Sickle-cell disease or G6PD deficiency), or blood with too low a solute concentration (hypotonic to cells).
Hemolysis can lead to hemoglobinemia due to hemoglobin released into the blood plasma.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemolysis

If you read further there is a link to leukaemia which is in the family. My ALT is above range and it's not because of poor handling of my blood. This is internal.

Hemolysis refers to any destruction of red blood cells. It certainly can refer to a lab's mishandling of a sample, but it is applied to organic situations as well.

My father dealt with hemolytic anemia in which the red blood cells were destroyed prior to the expiration of their normal lifespan. Beta hemolytic streptococcus, "strep throat," is a common disease example. It is a process that presents, as ragbag notes, in many situations. How it might effect the lab tests he presents with, I can't say.

 

[ratbag]

Yes this is how I understand it. I guess it's time to visit a hemotologist and get my blood checked out. Just to rule out any possible abnormalities. Now I have the fun of explaining why I'm on HRT. I really dislike the fact that MD's in Canada can see all your Rx'd meds with one keystroke!

 

[CoastWatcher]

Yes this is how I understand it. I guess it's time to visit a hemotologist and get my blood checked out. Just to rule out any possible abnormalities. Now I have the fun of explaining why I'm on HRT. I really dislike the fact that MD's in Canada can see all your Rx'd meds with one keystroke!

Quebec - not all of Canada. I spoke to my doctor about this, a native of Montreal, trained at McGill, now practicing in Toronto, and she said the health authorities in Quebec are overbearing across the board.

 

[Vince Carter]

Yes this is how I understand it. I guess it's time to visit a hemotologist and get my blood checked out. Just to rule out any possible abnormalities. Now I have the fun of explaining why I'm on HRT. I really dislike the fact that MD's in Canada can see all your Rx'd meds with one keystroke!

Have you seen results for yourself before with this Hemolysis or is this the first and only one?

 

[Vince]

Supplementing with vitamin C helps with the absorption of iron.

 

[ratbag]

Have you seen results for yourself before with this Hemolysis or is this the first and only one?

We cannot get Iron panel labs in Quebec unless it Rx'd by a hemotologist. So even though my hormone MD requests it we only get ferritin back from the labs. So I went to a private lab and paid for an iron panel and in addition to the regular iron panel it headlined with the Hemolysis results... so yeah 1st time I've seen that but also I have other blood symptoms like I do not absorb any iron supps at all. I take plenty of Vit C and also many times I cannot stop bleeding either from an injection site or from a scrape. When I get a cut it takes over a month to heal etc. I know I have some issues but with the hemolysis at the top of my iron panel results is sort of an awakening... meaning there is something found that indicates something isn't normal.