Hemoglobin Levels:

What’s Considered
Normal?
 Normal ranges

 Causes of high hemoglobin

 Low hemoglobin levels

 Hemoglobin A1c

 Takeaway

What is hemoglobin?
Hemoglobin, sometimes abbreviated as Hgb, is a protein in red blood cells
that carries iron. This iron holds oxygen, making hemoglobin an essential
component of your blood. When your blood doesn’t contain enough
hemoglobin, your cells don’t receive enough oxygen.

Doctors determine your hemoglobin level by analyzing a sample of your

blood. A variety of factors affect your hemoglobin levels, including your:

 age
 gender
 medical history
Keep reading to learn more about what’s considered a normal, high, and low
hemoglobin level.

What’s a normal hemoglobin

level?
Adults

In adults, the average hemoglobin level is slightly higher for men than it is for
women. It’s measured in grams per deciliter (g/dL) of blood.

Sex Normal hemoglobin level (g/dL)

Female 12 or higher

Male 13 or higher

Older adults also tend to have lower hemoglobin levels. This may be due to
several factors, including:

 lower iron levels due to chronic inflammation or poor nutrition

 medication side effects
 high rates of chronic diseases, such as kidney disease

Children

Infants tend to have higher average hemoglobin levels than adults. This is
because they have higher oxygen levels in the womb and need more red
blood cells to transport the oxygen. But this level starts to go down after
several weeks.
Age Female range (g/dL) Male range (g/dL)

0–30 days 13.4–19.9 13.4–19.9

31–60 days 10.7–17.1 10.7–17.1

2–3 months 9.0–14.1 9.0–14.1

3–6 months 9.5–14.1 9.5–14.1

6–12 months 11.3–14.1 11.3–14.1

1–5 years 10.9–15.0 10.9–15.0

5–11 years 11.9–15.0 11.9–15.0

11–18 years 11.9–15.0 12.7–17.7

What causes high hemoglobin

levels?
High hemoglobin levels generally accompany high red blood cell counts.
Remember, hemoglobin is found in red blood cells, so the higher your red
blood cell count, the higher your hemoglobin level and vice versa.

A high red blood cell count and hemoglobin level can indicate several things,
including:

 Congenital heart disease. This condition can make it hard for your
heart to effectively pump blood and deliver oxygen throughout your
body. In response, your body sometimes produces additional red blood
cells.
 Dehydration. Not having enough fluid can cause red blood cell counts
to appear higher because there isn’t as much fluid to balance them.
  Kidney tumors. Some kidney tumors stimulate your kidneys to make
excess erythropoietin, a hormone that stimulates red blood cell
production.
 Lung disease. If your lungs aren’t working effectively, your body may
try to produce more red blood cells to help carry oxygen.
 Polycythemia vera. This condition causes your body to produce extra
red blood cells.

Risk factors

You may also be more likely to have high hemoglobin levels if you:

 have a family history of disorders that affect red blood cell counts, such
as altered oxygen sensing
 live at a high altitude
 recently received a blood transfusion
 smoking

What are low hemoglobin levels?

A low hemoglobin level is usually seen with low red blood cell counts.

Some medical conditions that can cause this include:

 Bone marrow disorders. These conditions, such

as leukemia, lymphoma, or aplastic anemia, can all cause low red blood
cell counts.
  Kidney failure. When your kidneys aren’t functioning properly, they
don’t produce enough of the hormone erythropoietin that stimulates red
blood cell production.
 Uterine fibroids. These are tumors that usually aren’t cancerous, but
they can cause significant bleeding, leading to lower red blood cell
counts.
 Conditions that destroy red blood cells. These include sickle cell
anemia, thalassemia, G6PD deficiency, and hereditary spherocytosis.

Risk factors

You may also be more likely to have low hemoglobin levels if you:

 have a condition that causes chronic bleeding, such as gastric

ulcers, colon polyps, or heavy menstrual periods
 have a folate, iron, or vitamin B-12 deficiency
 are pregnant
 were involved in a traumatic accident, such as a car accident

Learn how to raise your hemoglobin.

What about hemoglobin A1c?

When having blood work done, you might also see results for hemoglobin A1c
(HbA1c), sometimes called glycated hemoglobin. An HbA1c test measures
the amount of glycated hemoglobin, which is hemoglobin that has glucose
attached to it, in your blood.
Doctors often order this test for people with diabetes. It helps to give a clearer
picture of someone’s average blood glucose levels over the course of 2 to 4
months. Glucose, also called blood sugar, circulates throughout your blood
and attaches to hemoglobin.

The more glucose in your blood, the more likely you are to have higher levels
of glycated hemoglobin. The glucose stays attached to the hemoglobin for
about 120 days. A high HbA1c level indicates that someone’s blood sugar has
been high for several months.

In most cases, someone with diabetes should aim for an HbA1c level of 7
percent or less. Those without diabetes tend to have HbA1c levels of about
5.7 percent. If you have diabetes and a high HbA1c level, you may need to
adjust your medication.

Learn more about controlling HbA1c levels.

The bottom line

Hemoglobin levels can vary by gender, age, and medical condition. A high or
low hemoglobin level can indicate a variety of things, but some people just
have naturally higher or lower levels.

Your doctor will look at your results in the context of your overall health to
determine whether your levels indicate an underlying condition.

Children
Infants tend to have higher average hemoglobin levels than adults. This is because
they have higher oxygen levels in the womb and need more red blood cells to
transport the oxygen. But this level starts to go down after several weeks.
Age Female range (g/dL) Male range (g/dL)

0–30 days 13.4–19.9 13.4–19.9

31–60 days 10.7–17.1 10.7–17.1

2–3 months 9.0–14.1 9.0–14.1

3–6 months 9.5–14.1 9.5–14.1

6–12 months 11.3–14.1 11.3–14.1

1–5 years 10.9–15.0 10.9–15.0

5–11 years 11.9–15.0 11.9–15.0

11–18 years 11.9–15.0 12.7–17.7

What causes high hemoglobin

levels?
High hemoglobin levels generally accompany high red blood cell counts. Remember,
hemoglobin is found in red blood cells, so the higher your red blood cell count, the
higher your hemoglobin level and vice versa.

A high red blood cell count and hemoglobin level can indicate several things,
including:

 Congenital heart disease. This condition can make it hard for your heart to
effectively pump blood and deliver oxygen throughout your body. In response,
your body sometimes produces additional red blood cells.
 Dehydration. Not having enough fluid can cause red blood cell counts to
appear higher because there isn’t as much fluid to balance them.
 Kidney tumors. Some kidney tumors stimulate your kidneys to make excess
erythropoietin, a hormone that stimulates red blood cell production.
  Lung disease. If your lungs aren’t working effectively, your body may try to
produce more red blood cells to help carry oxygen.
 Polycythemia vera. This condition causes your body to produce extra red
blood cells.

Risk factors

You may also be more likely to have high hemoglobin levels if you:

 have a family history of disorders that affect red blood cell counts, such as
altered oxygen sensing
 live at a high altitude
 recently received a blood transfusion
 smoking
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What are low hemoglobin levels?

A low hemoglobin level is usually seen with low red blood cell counts.

Some medical conditions that can cause this include:

 Bone marrow disorders. These conditions, such as leukemia, lymphoma, or

aplastic anemia, can all cause low red blood cell counts.
 Kidney failure. When your kidneys aren’t functioning properly, they don’t
produce enough of the hormone erythropoietin that stimulates red blood cell
production.
 Uterine fibroids. These are tumors that usually aren’t cancerous, but they can
cause significant bleeding, leading to lower red blood cell counts.
  Conditions that destroy red blood cells. These include sickle cell
anemia, thalassemia, G6PD deficiency, and hereditary spherocytosis.

Risk factors

You may also be more likely to have low hemoglobin levels if you:

 have a condition that causes chronic bleeding, such as gastric ulcers, colon
polyps, or heavy menstrual periods
 have a folate, iron, or vitamin B-12 deficiency
 are pregnant
 were involved in a traumatic accident, such as a car accident

Learn how to raise your hemoglobin.

What about hemoglobin A1c?

When having blood work done, you might also see results for hemoglobin A1c
(HbA1c), sometimes called glycated hemoglobin. An HbA1c test measures the
amount of glycated hemoglobin, which is hemoglobin that has glucose attached to it,
in your blood.

Doctors often order this test for people with diabetes. It helps to give a clearer picture
of someone’s average blood glucose levels over the course of 2 to 4 months. Glucose,
also called blood sugar, circulates throughout your blood and attaches to hemoglobin.

The more glucose in your blood, the more likely you are to have higher levels of
glycated hemoglobin. The glucose stays attached to the hemoglobin for about 120
days. A high HbA1c level indicates that someone’s blood sugar has been high for
several months.
In most cases, someone with diabetes should aim for an HbA1c level of 7 percent or
less. Those without diabetes tend to have HbA1c levels of about 5.7 percent. If you
have diabetes and a high HbA1c level, you may need to adjust your medication.

Learn more about controlling HbA1c levels.

The bottom line

Hemoglobin levels can vary by gender, age, and medical condition. A high or low
hemoglobin level can indicate a variety of things, but some people just have naturally
higher or lower levels.

Your doctor will look at your results in the context of your overall health to determine
whether your levels indicate an underlying condition.

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FEEDBACK:

Medically reviewed by Debra Sullivan, PhD, MSN, RN, CNE, COI on January 6, 2020 —
Written by Rachel Nall, MSN, CRNA

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