1. < Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR)

Low Hemoglobin?

Posted by jixster @jixster, Nov 20, 2023

Has anybody experienced a low hemoglobin level since contracting PMR? My October hemoglobin went down 20 points from my June blood work results.

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pmrsuzie | @pmrsuzie | Nov 21, 2023

When I was first diagnosed with pmr my hemoglobin level was 11.5 gm/dl., slightly below the normal range. I usually average a level somewhere between 12 and 13 gm/dl. After starting prednisone my hgb returned to my normal level.
I have experienced a few relapses when my crp significantly elevated and my hgb level decreased. Increasing prednisone during flares lowered my crp and consequently hgb increased.
pmr seems to affect us all differently but in my case active inflammation lowers my hgb..
I would say that pmr can cause your hgb level to drop but "20 points" needs clarification.

REPLY
1 reply
Teri | @tsc | Nov 22, 2023
In reply to @pmrsuzie "When I was first diagnosed with pmr my hemoglobin level was 11.5 gm/dl., slightly below the..." + (show)
@pmrsuzie

When I was first diagnosed with pmr my hemoglobin level was 11.5 gm/dl., slightly below the normal range. I usually average a level somewhere between 12 and 13 gm/dl. After starting prednisone my hgb returned to my normal level.
I have experienced a few relapses when my crp significantly elevated and my hgb level decreased. Increasing prednisone during flares lowered my crp and consequently hgb increased.
pmr seems to affect us all differently but in my case active inflammation lowers my hgb..
I would say that pmr can cause your hgb level to drop but "20 points" needs clarification.

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Hi @pmrsuzie, I had PMR and GCA undiagnosed for a year. I was very fatigued and thought it was my heart, as I had surgery a year before to repair a leaky valve.
My PCP ran lab tests, my hemoglobin was low and he wanted me to do all kinds of tests, pelvic ultrasound, colonoscopy, etc. to see where I was losing blood. I had a friend, a smart doctor, who looked at my bloodwork and figured out I had PMR/GCA and anemia - the anemia of chronic inflammation, caused by the PMR/GCA. The prednisone corrected this and I stopped being anemic.

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