BLOOD Flashcards
is a liquid that moves through vessels like arteries and veins. It travels to every part of the body, carrying important substances like oxygen and nutrients. Without blood, the body cannot function or stay alive.
BLOOD
MAIN FUNCTIONS OF BLOOD:
Delivers Oxygen and Nutrients
Carries oxygen from the lungs to organs and tissues.
Delivers nutrients from food to cells.
Removes Waste
Transports carbon dioxide and other waste products to be removed from the body.
Fight Infections
Contains white blood cells that help defend against bacteria, viruses, and other invaders.
Helps Heal Injuries
Contains platelets that help form clots to stop bleeding.
Supports tissue repair and healing.
Temperature Regulation
Maintains and distributes body heat.
It helps keep the body at a stable temperature, even when the
environment changes.
MAIN FUNCTIONS OF BLOOD:
Delivers Oxygen and Nutrients
Removes Waste
Fights Infections
Helps Heal Injuries
Temperature Regulation
WHY BLOOD IS IMPORTANT?
Keeps all body systems working properly. Protects the body from diseases. Supports healing and recovery. Carries hormones from glands to target organs.
WHAT ARE THE COMPONENTS OF BLOOD?
Blood can be broken down into different parts (components). These components include ______,____,_____
red blood cells
white blood cells
platelets
plasma.
is a machine that uses gravitational force and density, and the principles of sedimentation to separate the components of the blood into layers.
centrifuge
RED BLOOD CELLS, ALSO CALLED ERYTHROCYTES (RBCS)
Carry oxygen to the body.
They don’t have a center membrane (nucleus) .
Each RBC lives for about 4 months (120 days).
Develop in your body’s soft bone tissue (bone marrow) and release into your bloodstream after they fully mature, which takes about seven days.
RBCs contain a protein called hemoglobin. Hemoglobin allows RBCs to pick up oxygen from the lungs. Iron is needed to make hemoglobin.
Have the shape of a flat disk or doughnut.
A drop of blood contains 5 million Red blood cells.
also known as leukocytes, are the body’s defense cells. The word ‘leuko’ means ‘white’ and ‘cyte’ means ‘cell’.
White blood cells are a key part of the immune system.
They protect the body from infections, diseases, and harmful
invaders like bacteria, viruses, parasites, and even abnormal cells.
They act like soldiers, always ready to defend the body when needed.
White Blood Cells (WBCs)
THERE ARE FIVE MAIN TYPES OF WHITE BLOOD CELLS, AND EACH TYPE HAS A SPECIAL ROLE:
Neutrophils
Lymphocytes
Basophils
Eosinophils
Monocytes
these are the most common type. They are the first to respond when an infection happens. They attack and
destroy bacteria or fungi.
NEUTROPHILS
these include T cells and B cells. T cells help control the immune response, while B cells produce antibodies
to fight germs.
LYMPHOCYTES
these cells help break down bacteria and remove dead or damaged cells from the body. They also help the other
WBCs respond to infections.
MONOCYTES
these fight parasites and also play a role in allergic reactions.
EOSINOPHILS
these are the least common type, but they release chemicals like histamine during allergic reactions (which causes things like itching, redness, or swelling) and help control the body’s immune response.
BASOPHILS
WBCs are vital for our survival
They help keep the body healthy and fight sickness
Act as frontliners of the immune system
WHAT HAPPENS WITHOUT THEM?
Without WBCs, small infections, small wounds, and simple colds can become dangerous.
If the WBC count is too low (called _____), your body becomes weak in fighting infections. This can happen due to conditions like lupus, HIV, or after chemotherapy. People with low WBCs get sick more easily and take longer to recover.
leukopenia
If the WBC count is too high (called _____), it might mean your body is fighting a serious infection or inflammation. But in some cases, it can also be a sign of blood diseases like leukemia, where abnormal WBCs grow uncontrollably.
leukocytosis
Normal range/reference value: 4,000–11,000 WBCs per microliter of blood.
Platelets (thrombocytes) are small, colorless cell fragments in our blood that form clots and stop or prevent bleeding.
Platelets are the cells that circulate within our blood and bind together when they recognize damaged blood vessels.
Platelets are the body’s natural bandage to stop bleeding if you’re injured.
A normal platelet count ranges from 150,000 to 450,000 platelets per microliter of blood. Having more than 450,000 platelets is a condition called thrombocytosis and having less than 150,000 is known as thrombocytopenia.
FUNCTIONS OF PLATELETS
The platelets primary function is to stop bleeding if a blood vessel gets damaged.
The official process to stop bleeding from a damaged blood vessel is called hemostasis.
Platelets control blood clotting, which means they are critical for healing wounds and stopping bleeding
Platelets sense invading pathogens through their receptors, which results in platelet activation.
CLOT FORMATION DURING HEMOSTASIS
Adhesion
Activation
Aggregation
The platelets that circulate in your blood travel to the break in the blood vessel wall and stick (“adhere”) there.
Adhesion
The platelets that stick to the wall go through changes that keep hemostasis going. They also release substances to attract more platelets to the wound site and change shape so that it’s easier for the new platelets to bind together.
Activation
