Lab results

[nved]

I have Crohn's disease and after a week of bloody diarrhea my HGB was 14.9 my HCT 44.5 and my RBC 4.68. Also ESR and CRP normal.
I had a CBC and now my HGB is 16.6 HCT 46.4 RBC 4.90 and ESR of 5mm/hr. Does that mean that my drop in cbc was from losing blood rather than iron or b12/folate deficiency since now that bleeding resolved i have good values?
Also i had total cholesterol of 219 but my triglycerides was 71! Is this fat malabsorption? And if it is, why my cholesterol (nutritional marker) is high ? Thanks in advance for any input.

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi!
Yes, bleeding can cause a drop in CBC values and once the bleeding stops these values improve. Low triglycerides with normal or high cholesterol can be due to poor eating habits, hyperthyroidism, malabsorption syndromes (including Crohn’s and most likely cause in your case), as a side effect of certain drugs (like nicotinic acid, clofibrate), etc. Yes, cancers to can lower the triglycerides and so can AIDS, chronic panceatitis, chronic liver disease, post radiation side effect and protein intolerance. So, apart from Crohn’s ask your doctor whether you need to check your liver and pancreas. Take care!

The medical advice given should not be considered a substitute for medical care provided by a doctor who can examine you. The advice may not be completely correct for you as the doctor cannot examine you and does not know your complete medical history. Hence this reply to your post should only be considered as a guiding line and you must consult your doctor at the earliest for your medical problem.

[nved]

To add something, since my episode and diagnosis i stopped eating bread and sweets, chocolate etc.. and rely on meat