Hemoglobin is a protein in your red blood cells that carries oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body and returns carbon dioxide (CO₂) back to your lungs. A hemoglobin test measures how much hemoglobin is in your blood — and the results can tell you a lot about your overall health.
But hemoglobin test results aren't always straightforward. Many factors — from your altitude to how you store your test strips — can affect the accuracy of your reading. This guide covers everything you need to know.
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Shop Hemoglobin Meters →What Is a Hemoglobin Test?
A hemoglobin test measures the amount of hemoglobin in your blood. Hemoglobin is a protein produced by your bone marrow and stored in your red blood cells. It helps red blood cells carry oxygen from your lungs to your body through your arteries, and carries carbon dioxide (CO₂) from your body back to your lungs through your veins.
Abnormally high or low hemoglobin test results can cause symptoms such as fatigue, dizziness, or shortness of breath. If you experience these symptoms, your doctor may recommend a hemoglobin test. You may have an underlying condition that needs to be diagnosed. This article helps you understand what affects hemoglobin test results, what the typical range of hemoglobin is, and more.
What Are the Normal Ranges for Hemoglobin Test Results?
Normal hemoglobin levels vary by age, sex, and other factors. The table below shows standard measurement ranges:
| Category | Normal Range |
|---|---|
| Newborn | 14–24 g/dL |
| 0–2 weeks | 12–20 g/dL |
| 2–6 months | 10–17 g/dL |
| 6 months–1 year | 9.5–14 g/dL |
| 1–6 years | 9.5–14 g/dL |
| 6–18 years | 10–15.5 g/dL |
| Adult men | 14–18 g/dL |
| Adult women | 12–16 g/dL |
| Older adults | Slight decrease in values |
| Pregnant people | 11–16 g/dL |
Accuracy & Precision of the Medasia Hemoglobin Meter
| Item | Range of Sample | Bias / SD |
|---|---|---|
| Hb (Accuracy) | 4.5g/dL–10.0g/dL | ≤±1g/dL |
| Hb (Accuracy) | 10.1g/dL–25.5g/dL | ≤±10% |
| Hb (Precision) | 4.5g/dL–0.0g/dL | SD≤0.5g/dL |
| Hb (Precision) | 10.1g/dL–25.5g/dL | CV≤4% |
⚠️ Anemia Has No Obvious Symptoms Until It's Serious
Fatigue, dizziness, and shortness of breath are common signs of low hemoglobin. Regular home testing is the easiest way to catch it early.
Check My Hemoglobin Now →Medasia Hemoglobin Meter — Key Specs
| Feature | Specification |
|---|---|
| Result time | <15 seconds |
| Measurement range | 4.5–25.6 g/dL |
| Blood sample volume | 10µL |
| Memory capacity | 400 tests |
| Test strips | 25–75 pcs |
What Are the Symptoms of Low Hemoglobin?
Low hemoglobin is also known as anemia, which means you don't have enough red blood cells in your body. With anemia, a blood test will also show that you have a low red blood cell count and may have low hematocrit (the volume of red blood cells to other components in your blood).
Anemia can have many causes, so symptoms vary widely. Common anemia symptoms can include:
- Exhaustion
- Pale skin/pallor
- Shortness of breath
- Abnormal or rapid heartbeat
- Pain in your chest
- Cold, sweaty hands or feet
- Headache
- Trouble with physical activity
What Are the Causes of Low Hemoglobin?
Low hemoglobin can be caused by any condition that affects your body's ability to create red blood cells or conditions that lower red blood cells in your blood's stream. Possible causes include:
- Lack of iron in your diet, which makes it harder for your bone marrow to produce Hgb
- Lack of folate or vitamin B-12, which can lead to your body producing fewer red blood cells than are needed
- Severe blood loss after surgery or a major injury
- Internal bleeding from stomach ulcers, stomach or colon cancers, or internal injuries
- Sickle cell anemia — a genetic condition that causes red blood cells to be abnormally sickle-shaped and able to carry less Hgb
- Hypothyroidism — which means that the thyroid gland doesn't produce enough thyroid hormones
- Splenomegaly — an enlarged spleen from infection, liver conditions, or cancer
- Bone marrow conditions such as leukemia that prevent your bone marrow from producing enough red blood cells
- Chronic kidney disease — in which your kidneys don't function properly, resulting in a deficiency of erythropoietin, a hormone that stimulates red blood cell production in your bone marrow
Other low hemoglobin causes can include: donating blood too often, heavy bleeding during your period, alcohol misuse, and chronic health problems such as autoimmune diseases or cancer.
What Are the Symptoms of High Hemoglobin?
High hemoglobin is known as polycythemia vera — a cancer of the blood in which your bone marrow overproduces red blood cells. Polycythemia also shows that you have a high red blood cell count and high hematocrit. Possible causes of high hemoglobin include:
- Itchiness
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Getting easily bruised or bleeding
- Sweating more than usual
- Painful joint swelling
- Unusual weight loss
- A yellow tint to the eyes and skin (jaundice)
- Feeling exhausted
- A purple or reddish tint to the skin
What Are the Causes of High Hemoglobin?
High hemoglobin may result from your body needing to store more hemoglobin for red blood cells due to your environment, a condition that affects your heart or lung function, or lifestyle choices. Possible causes include:
- Living at high altitude where there isn't as much oxygen in the air, such as in the mountains
- Smoking tobacco products, including cigarettes or cigars
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) — a condition that inflames the lungs and blocks air from getting into your lungs
- Heart or lung diseases that affect your ability to breathe, your lungs' ability to pass oxygen into your bloodstream, or your heart's ability to pump normally
- Taking erythropoietin unnecessarily, such as to enhance high-level physical performance
Other high hemoglobin causes can include: being severely dehydrated, heart failure, and cancer of the liver or kidneys.
5 Key Factors That Influence Hemoglobin Test Results
1. Using the Wrong CODE for Your Test Strips
Different CODE numbers will affect the hemoglobin test result. Always make sure the hemoglobin test strip code is inserted into the meter correctly. Check that the code on the screen No., screen No., and test strip No. all match. The wrong hemoglobin test CODE number will not be eliminated by the meter, but the trigger is inaccuracy.
2. Insufficient Blood Sample Volume
The blood sample volume must comply with the 10µL requirement. Too little blood will produce an inaccurate hemoglobin reading for Capillary Transfer Tube movement. The difference in too much blood sample will also affect the result. Always ensure you collect the correct volume using the capillary transfer tube provided.
3. Improper Test Strip Storage
Test strips are a critical variable. Key storage rules:
- Store strips at a constant temperature — very high or very low temperatures can cause hemoglobin test strips to lose their effectiveness
- Avoid direct sunlight — direct light may cause degradation of the test strips and affect hemoglobin test results
- Hemoglobin test strips (Hgb) are sensitive to moisture — keep the container tightly sealed at all times
- Do not use strips after the expiration date — expired strips may give results that are higher than actual values, sometimes by as much as 1 mmol/L
- Do not use frozen test strips — frozen strips can easily affect hemoglobin test results
- Do not use strips after the expiration date for hemoglobin test results
Note: Once the container has been opened, the test strips are stable for up to 3 months. With the expiration date, if stored and sealed properly, stability may be indicated at high humidity conditions.
4. Physiological Factors
Performing hemoglobin tests can be caused by a number of physiological factors and sampling errors. It is important to establish a steady, stable physiological state before measuring hemoglobin. Key physiological factors include:
| Factor | Specific Content |
|---|---|
| Gender | For a given finger stick hemoglobin test, the expected venous hemoglobin will be about 0.5–1.0 g/dL lower for women compared to men |
| Posture | Venous samples taken in the standing position can be 4–8% higher than those taken in the supine position |
| Calculating time | Arm-rock sampling can result in the puncture site blood being diluted to produce values that are higher than venous and higher finger-stick values |
| Technique | Squeezing the finger too hard can dilute the blood sample and produce lower readings |
| Body variation | Hb is highest in the morning and decreases throughout the day |
| Dehydration | Dehydration can cause falsely elevated results due to reduced plasma volume, which increases the concentration of hemoglobin and red blood cells |
5. Altitude
At high altitude, there is less oxygen available, so the body compensates by producing more red blood cells and hemoglobin. This means hemoglobin levels are naturally higher in people living at altitude. This effect becomes more pronounced with increasing difficulty and should be considered when using a home testing hemoglobin device.
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CE certified · ISO certified · 4.5–25.6 g/dL range · 400 test memory · 10µL sample · For Medasia.store
- ✅ Results in under 15 seconds
- ✅ Wide measurement range: 4.5–25.6 g/dL
- ✅ Only 10µL blood sample needed
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Potential Sources of Error in Hemoglobin Testing
The accuracy and reliability of hemoglobin test results can be affected by pre-analytical errors. Following standardized procedures, as well as operator training and practice, is critical to obtaining correct results, especially when sampling from capillaries or finger pressure.
| Potential Error | Specific Content |
|---|---|
| Check | The sample must be well-mixed before puncture to ensure an adequate flow of blood (15–25 µL is recommended), resembling the thickness of the skin of the body |
| Residue | The first drop of blood from the puncture site should be wiped away. Ideally, the second drop is recommended to be approximately 10 µL in size. The finger should be gently squeezed to produce the blood drop. The blood must be analyzed immediately |
| Cleaning | After cleaning the skin with alcohol, allow the skin to air dry before making the needle reading |
| Puncture | The principal component supported by the lancet is: it can be managed gently, before and after the puncture to stimulate blood circulation. Maintaining a slight pressure on the puncture site is needed to ensure a good blood flow |
| Capillary | The capillary tube should be held horizontally to collect the blood sample. The 10 µL volume of blood should be used to fill the capillary tube for the hemoglobin measurement. The finger should not be squeezed too hard as this may affect the hemoglobin test result |
Conclusion
If you have symptoms of an abnormal hemoglobin test result, or if you are pregnant, your doctor may recommend that you obtain a new hemoglobin test result. A current hemoglobin test result is the only way to determine your health conditions. The sooner you notice an abnormal hemoglobin test result and diagnose the cause, the more likely you are to have more successful treatment. If you experience any symptoms of a drop in hemoglobin test result, contact your doctor. If you have a family history of blood disorders or conditions that may affect your bone marrow or red blood cell production, you may need regular hemoglobin tests and a CBC to monitor how these health problems affect your blood cells.
What causes inaccurate hemoglobin test for results?
FAQs about Hemoglobin Test Results
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References
- MedlinePlus. Hemoglobin. medlineplus.gov
- American Society of Hematology. Anemia. hematology.org
- CDC. Iron Deficiency Anemia. cdc.gov