OverviewBlood has been called the river of life, transporting various substances that must be carried to one part of the body or another. Red blood cells are an important element of blood. Their job is to transport oxygen to the body's tissues in exchange for carbon dioxide, which they carry to the lungs to be expelled. Red blood cells are formed in the red bone marrow of bones. Stem cells in the red bone marrow are called hemocytoblasts. They give rise to all of the formed elements in blood. If a stem cell commits to becoming a cell called a proerythroblast, it will develop into a new red blood cell. The formation of a red blood cell takes about 2 days. The body makes about two million red blood cells every second! Blood is made up of both cellular and liquid components. If a sample of blood is spun in a centrifuge, the formed elements and fluid matrix of blood can be separated from each other. Blood consists of 45% red blood cells, less than 1% white blood cells and platelets, and 55% plasma. Updated by: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
Red blood cells carry fresh oxygen all over the body. This is important to your health. Red blood cells are round with a flattish, indented center, like doughnuts without a hole. Your healthcare provider can check on the size, shape, and health of your red blood cells using a blood test. Red blood cells at workHemoglobin is the protein inside red blood cells. It carries oxygen. Red blood cells also remove carbon dioxide from your body, bringing it to the lungs for you to exhale. Red blood cells are made in the bone marrow. They typically live for about 120 days, and then they die. Nutrition and red blood cellsFoods rich in iron help you maintain healthy red blood cells. Vitamins are also needed to build healthy red blood cells. These include vitamins B-2, B-12, and B-3, found in foods such as eggs, whole grains, and bananas. Folate also helps. It is found in fortified cereals, dried beans and lentils, orange juice, and green leafy vegetables. Illnesses of the red blood cellsMost people don't think about their red blood cells unless they have a disease that affects these cells. Problems with red blood cells can be caused by illnesses or a lack of iron or vitamins in your diet. Some diseases of the red blood cells are inherited. Diseases of the red blood cells include many types of anemia. This is a condition in which there are too few red blood cells to carry enough oxygen all over the body. People with anemia may have red blood cells that have an abnormal shape or that look normal, larger than normal, or smaller than normal. Symptoms of anemia include tiredness, fast heart rate, pale skin, feeling cold, and, in severe cases, heart failure. Children who don't have enough healthy red blood cells grow and develop more slowly than other children. These symptoms show how important red blood cells are to your daily life. These are common types of anemia:
|