Understanding High CO2, Low RDW & Anion Gap: What Your Blood Test Results Mean

Question
I just got my results back and again, my C02 is 33 which is high. It was high last time and i noticed i have increased gas - too much.  what his this all about and why?  I have low RDW 11.0 and my anion Gap was low at 3.0.  I have hep C and will be seeing someone to stay on top of that which is very low but the other tests concerns me. Can you explain what it all means?  Thanks

Answer
Hi Judi.  CO2 (also called bicarbonate) is one of the body's electrolytes.  When bicarbonate levels are higher or lower than normal, it suggests that your body is having trouble maintaining its acid-base balance or that you have upset your electrolyte balance, perhaps by losing or retaining fluid. Both of these imbalances may be due to a wide range of dysfunctions, maybe from your Hep C.  This may explain why your anion gap is low, because bicarbonate is one of the values used to calculate the anion gap.  Your doctor may do more testing to determine the reason for these values.

Samantha