Article ABC

 

Blood Cell- What is a blood cell?

Blood is a circulating fluid. Blood cell is any type of blood found in the blood or plasma. In mammals blood also known as plasma is made up of three types of blood cells. Namely, the red blood cells, the white blood cells and platelets. The main function of blood is to supply nutrients and other elements to the different body tissues.

Red blood cells

Red Blood Cells or RBCs are also known as erythrocytes. Dutch Jan
Swammerdam was the first to describe RBCs. The main function of these cells is to transport oxygen produced in the lungs or gills to the body tissues through the blood. The RBCs mainly contain hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is responsible for carrying oxygen to the different parts of the body. The red color that the blood has is due to hemoglobin. Erythrocytes are continuously produced in the red bone marrow that is present inside large bones. Diseases such as anemia, iron deficiency disorders, sickle cell disease, thalassemia, spherocytosis, aplastic anemia and malaria are some of the diseases related to Red Blood Cells.

White blood cells

White blood cells or WBCs are also known as leukocytes. Similar to the RBCs, the WBCs are also produced in the bone marrow. However, the main function of the WBCs is to protect the body from infectious diseases or foreign materials. Hence it plays an important role in the immune system of the body. Neutrophil granulocyte, eosinophil granulocyte, basophil granulocyte, lymphocyte, monocyte and macrophage are the different types of leukocytes. Leucopenia, leukocytosis, leukemia and lymphoma are the various diseases related to white blood cells.

Platelet

Platelets are also known are thrombocytes. Brewer was the first to discover platelets. Later it underwent scrutiny by many other scientists. These are blood cell fragments that play a major role in formation of blood clot. They thus stop excess bleeding and assist in healing of the body. Platelets are also produced in the bone marrow. They get activated when they come in contact with collagen, thrombin, ADP and White Blood Cells to form a blood clot. Thrombocytopenia, aplastic anemia and thrombocytosis are some of the diseases that involve platelets.

Blood Cell Morphology- The basic structure of the cells.
There are two types of blood cells present in a human body. They are the red blood cells and the white blood cells. The red blood cells are the most common cells present in the body and are circular and fairly uniform in size. The white blood cells...

The HIV white blood cells.
Connection between HIV and WBC: Most of the HIV and the WBC syndrome follow the route of blood transfusion, mother to foetus, multiple partners even seen through homosexuals. The HIV stands for the Human Immuno Virus that affects the...

Leukemia White Blood Cell - What happens when white blood cells are affected by leukemia?
White blood cell is one of the most important components of blood. The main function of these cells is to immunize the body from contagious diseases and foreign materials such as viruses and bacteria. These cells originate from the bone marrow of...

Cancer and White Blood Cell - Cancer through Cells
White Blood Cells (WBCs) are extremely crucial in the human body. They play a fundamental role in the normal well being of the human body. It is necessary to have a specific WBC count for an individual to remain healthy. However, a minor change in...

Causes of Low Red Blood Cell Count - Low RBCs, Grave Danger
Red Blood Cells (RBCs) are the oxygen carriers in the human body. The hemoglobin that it contains carries the oxygen and gives the red color to the blood. However, if these RBCs become very low and decrease below the accepted level, it has very...