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| What is blood? | |||||||||
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 Blood is the life-maintaining fluid that circulates through the body's:
What is the function of blood?
Blood carries the following away from the body tissues:
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What are the components of blood? | ||||||||
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Human blood consists of about 22 percent solids and 78 percent water. The components of human blood are: | ||||||||
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Where are blood cells made? | ||||||||
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Blood cells are made in the bone marrow. The bone
marrow is the spongy material in the center of the bones that produces
about 95 percent of the body's blood cells. | ||||||||
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There are other organs and systems in our bodies
that help regulate blood cells. The lymph nodes, spleen, and liver help
regulate the production, destruction, and differentiation (developing a
specific function) of cells. The production and development of new
cells is a process called hematopoiesis. | ||||||||
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Blood cells formed in the bone marrow start out as a
stem cell. A "stem cell" (or hematopoietic cell) is the initial phase
of all blood cells. As the stem cell matures, several distinct cells
evolve such as the red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.
Immature blood cells are also called blasts. Some blasts stay in the
marrow to mature and others travel to other parts of the body to
develop into mature, functioning blood cells. | ||||||||
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What are the functions of blood cells? | ||||||||
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The primary function of red blood cells, or
erythrocytes, is to carry oxygen and carbon dioxide. Hemoglobin (Hgb)
is an important protein in the red blood cells that carries oxygen from
the lungs to all parts of our body. | ||||||||
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The primary function of white blood cells, or leukocytes, is to fight infection. There are several types of white blood cells and each has its own role in fighting bacterial, viral, fungi, and parasitic infections. Types of white blood cells that are most important for helping protect the body from infection and foreign cells include the following: | ||||||||
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White blood cells: | ||||||||
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The primary function of platelets, or thrombocytes,
is blood clotting. Platelets are much smaller in size than the other
blood cells. They group together to form clumps, or a plug, in the hole
of a vessel to stop bleeding. | ||||||||
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What is a complete blood cell count (CBC)? | ||||||||
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A complete blood cell count is a measurement of
size, number and maturity of the different blood cells in a specific
volume of blood. A complete blood cell count can be used to determine
many abnormalities with either the production or destruction of blood
cells. Variations from the normal number, size, or maturity of the
blood cells can be used to indicate an infection or disease process.
Often with an infection, the number of white blood cells will be
elevated. Many forms of cancer can affect the bone marrow production of
blood cells. An increase in the immature white blood cells in a
complete blood cell count can be associated with leukemia. Anemia and
sickle cell disease will have abnormally low hemoglobin. | ||||||||
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Common hematology tests: | ||||||||
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Some common hematology tests include the following: | ||||||||
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