The Blood

HOW MUCH? An adult male has about 5 liters of blood. An adult female has about 3.5 liters of blood.

What is blood made of? It’s a complex mixture of solids and liquids. 55% of it is a liquid called plasma. Plasma is a pale yellow fluid that is 95% water. The rest of it is dissolved materials like sugar, proteins, minerals and wastes.

What is blood made of? The solid part is made of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.

Red Blood Cells These are the cells that transport oxygen Bright red color is develops when oxygen bonds to hemoglobin. Red blood cells are shaped like discs Blood that has lost its oxygen is a dark red, almost purple color. This is the reason why veins close to the skins surface look purple

White Blood Cells White blood cells help protect your body against disease. They are bigger than RBC’s but not as numerous. White blood cells attack produce chemicals that cripple foreign invaders. They also produce chemicals that act like an alarm and send out more germ fighting cells.

White blood cells The pus you see around an infection is a pool of dead white blood cells and bacteria. If you produce too many white blood cells, you can develop a cancer called leukemia.

Platelets Platelets are a solid substance that aids in the clotting of blood When you get a cut and your blood is exposed to the air, platelets begin to fall apart, which releases chemicals. These chemicals react with other compounds in the blood to form tiny threads which twist to form a web that traps RBC. The RBCs dry out and form a scab.

Blood Clots Blood clots in your body can form black and blue marks we call bruises, underneath the skin. Some people are born with a disease called hemophilia, which means their blood doesn’t clot. For them, even a small scratch is dangerous.

Blood Types If you lose a lot of blood, you may have to get a blood transfusion. You must get the right type of blood, or it could be deadly. There are 4 main blood groups, A, B, AB and O

Blood Groups Type A has one kind of marker, type B another type, type AB has both markers and O has no markers. These markers are on the surface of RBC’s and help determine your blood type. Antibodies in your blood, will attack a blood type that is not compatible with your type of blood, when you get a transfusion. Therefore you must get the right type of blood.

Blood Types If you get the wrong type of blood, it might clot and clog tiny vessels which can lead to death.

Blood Types, Donors, Recipients BLOOD TYPECAN DONATE BLOOD TOCAN RECEIVE BLOOD FROM AA, ABA, O BB, ABB, O AB A, B, AB, O O O