Can a miscarriage or smoking cause high red blood cell count?

Question

Hi doctor,

I have just received results back from a blood test that says my red blood cell count is quite high. I am a 35-year-old female and I am a smoker (between four to seven a day). I began to get headaches, dizzy spells, nausea, fatigue, and itchiness all over the past five weeks. I do not know whether or not a miscarriage could count towards what is going on or not but I would like to know what I should do. My doctor just said to quit smoking and come back in 12 weeks for another test.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

High RBC (red blood cell) count can be due to the smoking habit. In smoking, oxygen delivery to tissue is decreased. So RBC is elevated by increased erythropoietin. Headache and dizziness in your case also seem to be due to smoking. So, it is advisable to stop smoking immediately. To rule out a miscarriage, you can investigate with ultrasonography of the pelvis and urine hCG card test.