Red blood cells are non-nuclear blood cells that form in the bone marrow. They are designed to provide tissues, organs and all cells of the body with oxygen. They also perform a transport function, removing carbon dioxide from them.
Normal performance
To determine that you have low red blood cells, you need to know what their level is considered adequate. So, the content of these blood cells depends on the age of the patient and on his gender. In he althy women, the number of red blood cells should be at the level of 3, 7-4, 7 x 1012 in every liter of blood. Men may have slightly more of them - from 4 to 5, 5 x 1012/l.
Slightly different indicators will be considered normal for children. So, at the age of 1 to 12 years, they should be from 3.5 to 5.2 x 1012/l. And in the first month of life they can be from 3.8 to 5.6 x 1012/l.
At the same time, the increased content of red blood cells in the blood of newborn babies is quite understandable. When they are in the womb, they need more of them to provide all the cells with oxygen. They begin to fall apart afterbirth.
Main Functions
The main purpose of red blood cells is the delivery of oxygen and the reverse transport of carbon dioxide. It becomes clear how dangerous the situation is when the red blood cells in the blood are low.
But in addition to performing the transport function, they have another purpose. They nourish and protect all tissues of the human body, and also maintain the acid-base level of the blood. They are able to transfer amino acids from the digestive organs directly to the tissues. The protective function is expressed in the ability to take part in immune reactions and adsorb antigens and toxins on its surface.
Increase in the number of blood cells
Many mistakenly believe that only a low content of erythrocytes in the blood is dangerous. This is not entirely true. Both a decrease and an increase in their concentration in the bloodstream are fraught with serious problems.
An increased level of these cells is called erythrocytosis. It should be noted that this situation is extremely rare. It may indicate a pathology of the lungs, heart, if an increase in their number has arisen due to excessive synthesis of the hormone erythropoietin in the kidneys. Also, erythrocytosis can occur due to blood diseases, for example, erythremia. It is characterized by excessive formation of red blood cells. But do not panic immediately, as soon as their increased content was discovered. This may simply indicate dehydration, excessive physical exertion, or frequentstress.
Decreased concentration of red cells
Much more often, doctors diagnose a low number of red blood cells in the blood. In most cases, this indicates anemia. It can begin due to a violation of the formation of these cells in the red bone marrow. Also, the reasons for its development may be the following:
- great blood loss;
- excessive destruction of red blood cells;
- iron deficiency.
All causes are quite serious and require correction of nutrition and drug treatment. Indeed, regardless of why the erythrocytes in the blood are low, this leads to a deterioration in the state of the body, since its tissues and cells are less supplied with oxygen.
Iron deficiency anemia
To figure out how to treat diseases, you need to find out what caused the decrease in the number of red blood cells. Often, iron deficiency in the body leads to the fact that low red blood cells are diagnosed. The causes of this condition lie in the insufficient formation of red cells. This occurs just because of the lack of iron.
And this deficit can develop for two reasons:
- Violation of its absorption or insufficient intake into the body.
- Increased need of the body for this element.
In the initial stages of the disease, there are no symptoms, and the diagnosis can only be established by laboratory tests. For this, a blood test is performed. Erythrocytes are lowered, however, not only due to a lack of iron in the body. But if this is the reason, then the level of hemoglobin will also be low. In addition, changes will affect the appearance of red blood cells, they will be reduced, and the intensity of their color will be different.
Other causes of anemia
Despite the fact that most often problems are detected precisely because of a lack of iron, there are other factors that affect the fact that reduced red blood cells are detected. The reasons also lie in the lack of vitamin B12, folic acid. In these situations, some violations are noted. So, in patients, gait disturbances or a decrease in sensitivity may be noticed.
Also sometimes there is a decrease in the concentration of red blood cells due to hemolysis. This is a condition in which there is an intense destruction of these red blood cells. It can be either a hereditary pathology or develop as a result of certain diseases. Among them, Marchiafava-Micheli disease or hemoglobinopathies.
It cannot be ruled out that the destruction of blood cells occurs due to toxic or mechanical destruction of their membrane. It is quite normal when the red blood cells in the blood are low after significant blood loss.
There is another situation in which the level of these red cells can be low, but nothing threatens the body. This is possible with excessive fluid intake. But such a decrease in the number of erythrocytes will be only temporary and theirthe amount will recover quickly.
