Red blood cells represent 40-45% of your blood volume. They are generated from your bone marrow at a rate of 4 to 5 billion per hour. They have a lifecycle of about 120 days in the body.
Platelets are the smallest of your blood cells and literally look like small plates in their non-active form. Platelets control bleeding. Wherever a wound occurs, the blood vessel will send out a signal. Platelets receive that signal and travel to the area and transform into their “active” formation, growing long tentacles to make contact with the vessel and form clusters to plug the wound until it heals.
Plasma is the liquid portion of your blood. Plasma is made up mostly of water, but it also contains proteins, sugars, hormones, and salts. It transports water and nutrients to your body’s tissues.
White blood cells (leukocytes) only account for about 1% of your blood. They are essential for good health and protection against illness and disease. Like red blood cells, they are constantly being generated from your bone marrow. They flow through the bloodstream and attack foreign bodies, like viruses and bacteria.
FAQs
Over half of your blood is plasma. The solid part of your blood contains red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Red blood cells (RBC) deliver oxygen from your lungs to your tissues and organs. White blood cells (WBC) fight infection and are part of your immune system.
What is the basic knowledge of blood? ›
blood, fluid that transports oxygen and nutrients to the cells and carries away carbon dioxide and other waste products. Technically, blood is a transport liquid pumped by the heart (or an equivalent structure) to all parts of the body, after which it is returned to the heart to repeat the process.
What are the five importance of blood? ›
Blood brings oxygen and nutrients to all the parts of the body so they can keep working. Blood carries carbon dioxide and other waste materials to the lungs, kidneys, and digestive system to be removed from the body. Blood also fights infections, and carries hormones around the body.
What is the rarest blood type? ›
One of the world's rarest blood types is Rh-null. Fewer than 50 people in the world have this blood type. It's so rare that it's sometimes called “golden blood.”
Why is blood so important to life? ›
The blood carries nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, sugars, fats and proteins around the body. Digested nutrients are absorbed into the blood through capillaries in the small intestine. They are then moved to the cells around the body where they are needed.
What color is healthy blood? ›
There's no need to build up the suspense: Blood is red. It might vary from a bright cherry red to a dark brick red, but it's always red.
What blood type lives the longest? ›
Chances are higher you'll live longer if you have type O blood. Experts think your lowered risk of disease in your heart and blood vessels (cardiovascular disease) may be one reason for this.
What does blood fight? ›
One of the key functions of blood is protection. White blood cells are immune system cells. They are like warriors waiting in your blood stream to attack invaders such as bacteria and viruses.
What color is blood without oxygen? ›
It is the blood in the veins that gives them color. Furthermore, the blood in human veins is also not blue. Blood is always red. Blood that has been oxygenated (mostly flowing through the arteries) is bright red and blood that has lost its oxygen (mostly flowing through the veins) is dark red.
What happens if you have too much blood in your body? ›
The increase in blood cells makes the blood thicker. Thick blood can lead to strokes or tissue and organ damage. Symptoms include lack of energy (fatigue) or weakness, headaches, dizziness, shortness of breath, visual disturbances, nose bleeds, bleeding gums, heavy menstrual periods, and bruising.
O negative blood can be used in transfusions for any blood type. Type O is routinely in short supply and in high demand by hospitals – both because it is the most common blood type and because type O negative blood is the universal blood type needed for emergency transfusions and for immune deficient infants.
Which organ makes blood in the human body? ›
In adults, blood cells are mainly produced in the bone marrow. The various blood cells develop in several stages from stem cells to blood cells or blood platelets. White blood cells such as lymphocytes don't only mature in the bone marrow, but also in the lymph nodes.
What is a fun fact about blood type? ›
AB- is the least common blood type, which is less than 1% of the population. An individual with AB- blood type can receive blood from all three negative blood types. O blood type is called to be the “universal donor” because O+ is the most frequently occurring blood group in the ABO type.
What's special about a blood? ›
Facts and Figures: Type A Blood
Only recipients with some combination of the A blood type can receive a transfusion from type A- blood — so, recipients with AB+, AB-, A+, and A- blood types can all receive type A- blood. A+ blood can only be received by those with AB+ or A+ blood.
What is unique about the blood? ›
Unlike other types of cells in the body, mature red blood cells do not contain a nucleus, mitochondria, or ribosomes. The absence of these cell structures leaves room for the hundreds of millions of hemoglobin molecules found in red blood cells.
