Download article as a PDF. The Social Security Administration (SSA) maintains a Listing of Medical Impairments (known as the blue book) that automatically qualify you for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI), provided certain conditions are met.
A low hemoglobin count is a commonly seen blood test result. Hemoglobin (Hb or Hgb) is a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout the body. In many cases, a low hemoglobin count is only slightly lower than normal and doesn't affect how you feel. If it gets more severe and causes symptoms, your low hemoglobin count may indicate you have anemia.
HCT and HGB are extremely common blood tests, which are usually measured together. HCT -- short for hematocrit -- is the volume of red blood cells (RBCs) within a specific volume of blood. HGB -- or hemoglobin -- is the amount of HGB in a specific volume of blood. As HGB is the oxygen-carrying protein within RBCs, the HCT and HGB are closely linked. When one falls, the other generally falls as well. Both HCT and HGB provide approximations of the number of RBCs contained in the blood, and low values indicate the presence of anemia. Low HCT and HGB may be caused by a reduced total number of RBCs or by excessive fluid within the blood, which dilutes the RBCs. The number of RBCs may be reduced by blood loss, impaired RBC production or excessive RBC destruction.