LO 11 Flashcards
Blood is a liquid connective tissue made up of 2 basic components: _______________
- Plasma – liquid component
- Formed elements – (cells) suspended in plasma
Describe blood plasma
- Makes up just over 50% of blood volume
- Defined as blood minus its formed elements
- ‘non-living’
- Composition = primarily water containing many dissolved substances (e.g. nutrients, O2, salts, hormones, waste products)
List the plasma proteins (most abundant solutes in plasma)
- Albumins – help thicken & maintain blood volume
- Globulins – include the antibodies that help protect against infections
- Fibrinogen – critical for blood clotting
- Prothrombin – critical for blood clotting
__________ is essentially blood plasma without the clotting factors (but still contains antibodies)
Blood serum
How much blood is in the human body?
Varies with size and gender, but roughly 4-6L (7-9% of body weight)
What is the normal pH of blood?
7.35-7.45
What are the 3 main types of formed elements in blood?
- Red blood cells (RBCs or erythrocytes) - 4.5 to 5 million per mm3 of blood*
- White blood cells (WBCs or leukocytes) - 5,000 to 10,000 per mm3 of blood*
- Platelets or thrombocytes - 300,000 per mm3 of blood*
- 1 mm3 = approximately 1 drop of blood
Describe the types of white blood cells
- Granular (have granules in cytoplasm) - Neutrophils; Eosinophils; Basophils
- Non-granular or agranular leukocytes (do not have granules in cytoplasm) - Lymphocytes; Monocytes
How often are blood cells produced?
- Continually destroyed and therefore have to be continually replaced/reproduced
- A few million RBCs manufactured each second!
How are blood cells produced?
- RBCs and WBCs are produced by two types of tissues - Myeloid tissue (red bone marrow); Lymphatic tissue
_________ is the name for the formation of blood cells
Hematopoiesis
Describe myeloid tissue (red bone marrow)
- Found mainly in adult sternum, ribs, hip bones
- Forms all types of blood cells except lymphocytes
Describe lymphatic tissue
- Found in lymph nodes, thymus, spleen
- Forms lymphocytes
Describe the structure of red blood cells
- Disk-shaped, no nuclei
- Shape increases surface area to maximize function
- 4 month ‘life span’
Describe the function of red blood cells
- Exchange of O2 and CO2 between blood & body’s cells
- Transports O2 as oxyhemoglobin
- Transports CO2 as carbaminohemoglobin
Describe anemia
- Term used to describe a variety of conditions caused by an inability of blood to carry adequate oxygen to body cells
- Can occur if there is a deficiency of red blood cells or hemoglobin (even if there are adequate numbers of RBCs)
List the types of anemia
- Hemorrhagic anemia
- Aplastic anemia
- Iron deficiency anemia
- Pernicious anemia
- Sickle cell anemia
Describe hemorrhagic anemia
Decreased RBC numbers caused by hemorrhage