A little bit about anaemia

Anaemia describes the condition in which the number of red blood cells in the blood is low. For this reason, doctors sometimes describe someone with anaemia as having a low blood count. A person who has anaemia is called anaemic.

Blood is comprised of two parts; a liquid part called the plasma and a cellular part. The cellular part contains several different cell types. One of the most important and most numerous cell types is the red blood cell. The other cell types are the white blood cells and platelets. Only red blood cells are discussed in this article. The purpose of the red blood cell is to deliver oxygen from the lungs to other parts of the body.

Red blood cells are produced through a series of complex and specific steps. They are made in the bone marrow (inner part of some bones that make most of the cells in the blood), and when all the proper steps in their maturation are complete, they are released into the blood stream. The haemoglobin molecule is the functional unit of the red blood cells and is the protein structure that is inside the red blood cells.

Even though the red blood cells (or RBCs) are made within the bone marrow, many other factors are involved in their production. For example, iron is a very important component of the haemoglobin molecule; erythropoietin, a molecule secreted by the kidneys, promotes the formation of red blood cells in the bone marrow. On the other hand, sickle cell anaemia is also in an example of this disease as it involves the red blood cell abnormality.

Normal red blood cell

Normal red blood cell with sickle cell anemia