Blood is alive. It contains living cells that are essential for life.
Blood is responsible for transporting:
- Oxygen from the lungs to body tissue;
- Nourishment from digestion and hormones from glands throughout the body;
- Disease-fighting substances (e.g. white cells, anti-bodies, complement binding factors) to the tissues; and
- Waste products to the liver and kidneys for detoxification and disposal.
There is currently no viable substitute for human blood. Blood is still irreplaceable, which is why blood donors are needed!
Blood is made up of:
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Red cells
Red cells transport oxygen to the various parts of the body. There are about one billion red cells in two to three drops of blood. For every 600 red blood cells, there are about 40 platelets and one white blood cell. Each red blood cell has haemoglobin that carries oxygen to the cells of the body and back to the lungs for excretion of carbon dioxide. Manufactured in the bone marrow, red blood cells are continuosly being produced and broken down. They live for approximately 120 days in the circulatory system, and are eventually removed by the spleen.
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White cells
White cells are responsible for cleaning the body and fighting off infections.
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Platelets
These are small, colorless cell fragments in your blood whose main function, along with clotting factors, is to stop bleeding.
When a blood vessel is damaged, platelets will become “glued” together at the damage site to form a platelet plug, which prevents blood from leaking out of the blood vessel.
Thus, when the human body loses a little blood through a minor wound, platelets cause the blood to clot and the bleeding stops. Without platelets, a person may bleed to death.
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Plasma
Approximately 55% of blood is plasma, a straw-colored clear liquid. Plasma is like a river that carries the solid cells and platelets along to all parts of the body.
This marvelous fluid also contains special proteins such as albumin and immuno-globulins which are anti-bodies that fight infection and cancer, as well as clotting factors – special proteins that help blood to clot.
This marvelous fluid also contains special proteins such as albumin and immuno-globulins which are anti-bodies that fight infection and cancer, as well as clotting factors – special proteins that help blood to clot.
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