The definition of anemia: what is the lower limit of normal of the blood hemoglobin concentration?
- PMID: 16189263
- PMCID: PMC1895695
- DOI: 10.1182/blood-2005-07-3046
The definition of anemia: what is the lower limit of normal of the blood hemoglobin concentration?
Abstract
The diagnosis of anemia is an important aspect of the practice of hematology. The first step is to decide whether the patient is, in fact, anemic. Unless earlier blood counts are available, and they often are not, the physician must make his or her decision on the basis of the population distribution of hemoglobin values. How likely is it that the patient's hemoglobin value lies below the normal distribution; that is, "the lower limit"?
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Comment in
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The quest for the normal hemoglobin concentration.Blood. 2006 Jul 15;108(2):777; author reply 777-8. doi: 10.1182/blood-2006-03-008789. Blood. 2006. PMID: 16822910 No abstract available.
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Altitude above sea level as a variable for definition of anemia.Blood. 2006 Sep 15;108(6):2131; author reply 2131-2. doi: 10.1182/blood-2006-04-016352. Blood. 2006. PMID: 16956960 No abstract available.
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