Is there any drug to reduce the haemoglobin levels?
Q: My daughter, aged 20, is suffering from a heart disease CHD, Dextro Cardia (hole in the heart from birth). From the last four months she is also suffering from an increase in haemoglobin by 22.8%. She was admitted in a hospital recently and at that time the haemoglobin was 23.6. The doctors gave her Penegra, Spiromide and Sangoxin. From the last two months she is taking medicines but at present her haemoglobin is 22.8%. It has not reduced. The doctors say that there is no medicine for reducing the haemoglobin. Please let me know if there is any such drug?
A:Secondary polycythaemia (or erythrocytosis) is an acquired form of a disorder characterised by an abnormal increase in the number of mature red cells in the blood. The resulting excess of red cells thicken the blood and impedes its flow through small blood vessels. Primarily treating the underlying condition causing this disorder treats it. Some medications may also be taken to treat symptoms caused by polycythaemia – antihistaminics for itching or aspirin for burning sensations and bone pain. Until the underlying condition is controlled, doctors often use bloodletting (phlebotomy) to reduce the number of red blood cells in the patients body. In most instances, a unit of blood is drained from the patient as needed and tolerated, until the packed cell volume (the proportion of red cells in the blood) reaches an acceptable level. Chemotherapeutic drugs are not used to treat this condition.