Blood Flashcards
What happens when a person loses a lot of blood?
They need to have a blood transfusion.
Why is blood so important?
- It transports things from one of your body to another
- It helps to protect your body from disease
How much blood do we have?
5 liters (bucket full)
What is the yellow liquid in blood?
Plasma
What is plasma made of?
- Food, such as, amino acids, vitamins and minerals
- Chemical waste like urea
- Blood proteins like antibodies
- Hormones
What is the red liquid in blood?
Cells
What are the three main types of blood cells?
- Red cells have no nucleus. They look red because they have a red pigment called haemoglobin.
- White cells do have a nucleus. There are 2 main types: lymphocytes and phagocytes. White cells do not have haemoglobin so they don’t look red.
- Platelets are tiny bits of cells.
How many red cells are in each drop of blood?
Millions
What do red cells do?
Carry oxygen.
How does the shape of a red blood cell help it to carry oxygen?
Red cells are disc-shaped with the middle pushed in. They have a large surface area to volume ratio. This helps them to absorb a lot of oxygen.
What do red cells have instead of a nucleus?
They are filled with haemoglobin.
What is haemoglobin?
This is a special protein that contains iron. It helps transport oxygen.
You must have enough ____ in your diet to make enough haemoglobin for your red cells.
Iron
What is oxyhaemoglobin?
When haemoglobin combined easily with oxygen.
How does oxyhaemoglobin form?
- Oxygen diffuses from the alveoli into the blood. The oxygen sticks to the haemoglobin in the red cells making oxyhaemoglobin.
- The red blood cells carry the oxygen to the cells which need it.
Where does the oxyhaemoglobin break down?
- The oxygen becomes unstuck from the oxyhaemoglobin and diffuses out of the blood to the cells. The oxyhaemoglobin is now just haemoglobin again.
- The empty red blood cells return to the lungs to pick up more oxygen
True or False
Red cells also carry some carbon dioxide, but most of it is carried dissolved in the plasma.
What are white cells?
They fight disease
What do red cells have that white cells don’t? (3)
- White cells are not disc-shaped
- They do not have haemoglobin
- They do have nucleus
Where both red cells and white cells made?
Bone marrow
What is the job of the white cells?
Their job is to protect the body from any pathogens that get into the blood.
When a bacterium enters the body the white cells recognize that it is _______ and should not be there.
Foreign
What do lymphocytes make?
They make chemicals called antibodies .
How do antibodies attack pathogens?(3)
- They make them stick together
- They dissolve them
- They destroy the toxins that the pathogens make
