The River of Life

Blood-Did You Know… Blood is the only tissue that is a liquid. An average adult has approximately 4.7 L (5 quarts) of blood. Blood comprises about 8% of a person’s total body weight. Blood travels 60,000 mi (96,540 Km) per day in your body. 15 million blood cells die every day and have to be replaced.

What is the Composition of Blood? Blood is about 78% liquid and 22% solids Four Major Components of Blood Plasma Red Blood Cells (RBC) White Blood Cells (WBC) Platelets

Blood Plasma—The Liquid of Life It is the LIQUID of the blood that suspends the blood cells Composition: 90% water Ionic salts (electrolytes) Soluble proteins Functions: Helps maintain homeostatic balance Allows for the correct function of muscles and nerves Transports soluble substances Carries factors needed for blood clotting

Plasma Transports: Nutrients Electrolytes Hormones Antibodies Clotting factors Metabolic wastes Dissolved Gases: oxygen and carbon dioxide

Red Blood Cells (Erythrocytes) Carry Oxygen and Nutrients! Most abundant blood cell 5.2 billion RBC per mL of blood Mature cells lack a nucleus Average Lifespan: 120 Days

Red Blood Cell Facts Can be frozen for ten years Hemoglobin makes up 33% of cell mass Primary function is to transport oxygen Help remove carbon dioxide Produced in bone marrow Travel single file through capillaries

White Blood Cells (Leukocytes) Types Monocyte Neutrophil Lymphocyte Basophil Eosinophil

White Blood Cell Facts Protect us against infection! Largest of the blood cells Normally 5000 to 10,000 WBC per mL blood Variable life span – from a few days to years Produced in bone marrow Part of the immune system Increase in number when infection or inflammation is present

White Blood Cells—Functions Monocytes and Neutrophils: Destroy bacteria and other foreign materials Signal other immune cells that foreign material is inside body Lymphocytes: Destroy abnormal cells Produce antibodies Moderate immune response

White Blood Cells—Functions Eosinophils Kill multicellular parasites (e.g. blood fluke) Basophils Can destroy foreign material Involved in inflammation response Involved in development of allergies

Platelets (Thrombocytes) Help to stop bleeding and heal wounds Formed in bone marrow Not cells, are fragments of precursor cells Lifespan—10 Days Help blood clot by forming “platelet plugs.” Stimulate other clotting factors Approximately 250,000 per mL of blood

Simulated Blood Smear Used with permission of Ken Hoge http://texasheart.org/HIC/Anatmy/blood.cfm?&RenderForPrint=1

According to the CDC: It is estimated that SDC: Affects 90,000 to 100,000 Americans. About 1 out of every 500 African-American births. About 1 out of every 36,000 Hispanic-American births. Occurs among about 1 in 12 African Americans.

Blood’s Components Plasma Platelets White Blood Cells Red Blood Cells

Carry Oxygen and Nutrients Red Blood Cells Carry Oxygen and Nutrients

Hemoglobin It is the primary component of Red Blood Cells. It is a protein that binds to oxygen. It is composed of 4 Sub-Units. Each Sub-Unit carries one oxygen molecule. People with Sickle Cell have abnormal hemoglobin.

Sickle Cell Disease Production of abnormal hemoglobin within the Red Blood Cells. Life-Long condition with no known cure.

Symptoms When Sickling Occurs Signs and Symptoms are: Paleness in face (Pallor) Fatigue Jaundice (Yellow Tint to Skin) Irritability Pain

Complications Stroke Heart Attack Blindness Ulcers Anemia Death can occur when additional issues complicate the disease, such as; Infection Meningitis

Why Does It Hurt?? Sickled Cells do not carry the oxygen that your body needs. Sickled Cells can accumulate in small blood vessels and lead to tissue death.

Prevention and Treatment Avoid Over Exercising Keep Hydrated Avoid High Altitudes Blood Transfusions with healthy Red Blood Cells. *Hydroxyurea- a Chemotherapy medication that changes red blood cells so that they are less likely to bend in an abnormal shape.

Who Gets It? Sickle Cell Disease is an inherited, autosomal recessive disorder. There are 3 sub-types of Sickle Cell Disease (Sickle Cell Anemia, Sickle Cell Thalassemia, and Sickle Cell Hemoglobin C Disease) Tends to occur in persons with origins in the equatorial countries; Central Africa, Mediterranean area, and part of India.

In The United States In the United States, Sickle Cell Disease is most common in the African American population. Over 72,000 people in the United States have sickle cell disease.

How Do You Get It? Sickle Cell is a Recessive disorder. Trait (Carrier): Only one parent had the gene (No symptoms of the disorder) Child has one normal gene and one sickle cell gene Disease: Both parents had recessive gene 1 in 4 chance child will have Sickle Cell Disease

Review Of Concepts 1. Cells need oxygen in order to function properly, and the hemoglobin protein in red blood cells transports oxygen to the cells. 2. People with deformed hemoglobin experience a variety of health issues.

Concepts Continued 3. Changes to the structure of a protein can change its ability to function properly. 4. The incidence of a particular disease varies between different countries.