Polycythemia

[eddie1968]

I've just had blood tests done and the results were too many red and white blood cells and was told it is polythemia. I've fellt tired and dizzy a lot lately and my GP told me it has many causes and I need more tests. Is this related to diabetes as my HbA1c levels are high and they've never been below 85 mmol/l since diagnosis in 2010. thanks folks.

 

[sally and james]

Until 10 minutes ago, I had never heard of polycythemia, but having googled it and skim read the wikipedia entry, I can tell you that the word "diabetes" does not appear anywhere in the Wiki article. BUT, on the face of it, those HbA1c levels are staggeringly high, so for your general health, well being and longevity, you should be doing everything you can to bring them right down and that tends to mean, in most circumstances, cutting out most carbohydrates from your diet. However, if you have a disease that affects blood cells, this might affect the accuracy of an HbA1c. Do you have fasting readings of your blood sugars? Are these horribly high? You need to go through all of this with a doctor.
Sally

 

[eddie1968]

Thanks for the reply, I've done some reading myself this morning and Dehydration is listed as a possible cause, especially with my constant high HbA1c levels. Also all the extra red blood cells can affect the HbA1c result. I do exercise and eat a balanced lowish carb diet. I just had repeat bloods done at 1pm today to get to the bottom of it.