What Does a High Red Blood Cell Count Indicate?
Erythrocytosis means there is a high number of red blood cells, also called erythrocytes, in a person’s blood. A person’s red blood cells are created in his bone marrow and used to move oxygen from his lungs to other parts of the body that need it. A high red blood cell count may indicate a range of conditions. For example, it could mean there is a problem with a person’s heart, lung, or kidney function. Sometimes it occurs because the bone marrow is producing abnormally high amounts of red blood cells or because the red blood cells are aren’t carrying as much oxygen as they should.
