Tell Me About Blood

1 / 2

Crystal Brettschneider

Tell me about blood

Blood is a connective tissue that helps your body fight disease, keeps you cool, and is vital for oxygen transportation through the body. Within your blood there are Red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. The red blood cells transport oxygen and Carbon dioxide throughout the body. The white blood cells protect the body by fighting infections. The platelets also known as thrombocytes help your blood to clot when needed.

Hematocrit is a test that measures the red blood cells in blood. A low hematocrit would show that the amount of hemoglobin, which is the oxygen carrying protein in blood, is low. Hemoglobin levels would be low showing an iron, vitamin B12 and folic acid deficiency. When a person has a low hematocrit it could mean they have anemia, they could be bleeding, or a disease that is destroying their red blood cells. A bacterial infection would affect the hematocrit because there would be a high white blood cell count, and a low red blood cell count, because the white blood cells are the cells that attack and destroy bacteria.

Lymphocytes and other formed elements develop in the pluripotent cells in the red blond marrow. Pluri mean several, and those types of stem cells have the ability to turn into many different cells. Pluripotent stem cells generate myeloid and lymphoid stem cells. Myeloid stem cells start and complete developments in red bone marrow and raises red blood cells, platelets, Eosinophil, basophils, neutrophils, and monocytes. Those myeloid cells produce a majority of the formed elements. The lymphoid stem cells develop in red bone marrow but complete development in lymphocytes tissue. The lymphocytes are created and all formed elements, including lymphocytes are sweat into the bloodstream to complete their jobs. Lymphocytes divide once leaving the red bone marrow, formed elements do not.

Erythropoiesis is the production of red blood cells or erythrocytes. This process begins in red bone marrow with the help of proerythroblasts. Proerythroblast is immature red blood cells. Then they become reticulocyte, which is the middle or teenage cell. The cell then ejects the nucleus becoming a bi concave cell. It is then considered an erythrocyte. The production rate is regulated by the percentage of reticulocytes versus the red blood cells circulating. Erythropoiesis is controlled directly by the amount of oxygen being delivered to the kidneys. If the kidneys do not have enough oxygen they release the hormone erythropoietin, in which signals the red bone marrow to produce more proerythroblasts.

If a person with type B blood was given a transfusion of type O blood there would be no negative effect because blood types are determined by antigens