Red+Blood+Cells+-+JB

=Introduction= toc

I magine an ambulance speeding down the streets rushing to save a life. That is like what a red blood cell does in the veins of your body. The blood speeds through plasma so they can deliver fresh oxygen to other cells in your body. The cell that does not have a nucleus can squeeze through tight spots in your body to reach their destination. But imagine the cells turning into different shapes and blocking off other cells from giving oxygen.

If you want to watch a video on blood to learn more click here =What do Red Blood Cells do=

Red blood cells are the most common cell in your body. Trillions of them are zooming around carrying little molecules of oxygen to all the cells in your body. They also deliver it to your lungs so you can breath. This whole process is like a mail truck giving you all your mail. Kidshealth.com says "Blood is essential for good health because the body depends on a steady supply of fuel and oxygen to reach its billions of cells." This is why it is important to keep your blood healthy These red blood cells take away the bad co2 from the other cells and disposes it. These red blood cells create energy by combining with oxygen, the reaction creates energy for the cells. The energy fuels the cells and lets them do the jobs they need to do. Red blood cells are one of the most important cell in your body because they give your cells oxygen to make energy to move around and do daily tasks. Without red blood cells everything would be harder and all the parts of this cell help you a lot.

== = = = = = = = = = = =Structure of Red Blood Cells= Red blood cell need all their parts to function so it is important to know what the parts of a red blood .Red blood cells have a simple shape like a donut except the whole in the middle is filled in. ¨Because of their pinched shape, red blood cells are thin in the middle and can bend and twist easily. This flexibility enables them to squeeze through narrow capillaries.¨ Says Elizabeth Coolidge-Stolz in Human Biology and Health. Elizabeth is a Medical writer and a M.D.That middle of the cell is one of the most important part of the cell. The middle of the cell carries molecules called hemoglobin which collects oxygen from your body and gives it to your lungs, cells and other tissue. This hemoglobin also gives the red blood cell its red color. The red blood cell travels in plasma around the body. Plasma is a gooey substance that flows throughout the body. It lets cells flow through and move around.



= = = = = = =Can Red Blood Cells Hurt You=

Red blood cells can hurt you in a really bad way, it is called sickle cell anemia. This picture shows the difference between a sickle cell and a healthy cell. A sickle cell is a cell that is turned into a crescent shape. This crescent shaped blocks off blood paths so no other blood cells can get through. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute said "Sickle-shaped cells are not flexible and can stick to vessel walls, causing a blockage that slows or stops the flow of blood. When this happens, oxygen can't reach nearby tissues." All this congestion is stopping the the life of the what is being blocked off. This disease is very serious and deadly. The way you get sickle cell anemia is from having two parents with a sickle cell disease.

If you want to see more about a boy with sickle cell anemia click here.

=Conclusion=

Now that you know about red blood cells, you can see how important they are to your whole body. There are 25 trillion of these little cells that make your body possible. They have little molecules called hemoglobin that pick up the oxygen and bring them to other cells. This is important to know because if you do ever have sickle cell anemia you will know what is happening in your body. Red blood cells deliver the important oxygen to parts of your body.

=References=

“Blood.” BrainPop, 2017, www.brainpop.com/health/bodysystems/blood/. Accessed 30 Jan. 2017. “Composition of Blood.” Biological Sciences, Prentice Hall, 2003, biosbcc.net/b100cardio/htm/blood.htm. Accessed 31 Jan. 2017. Corcoran, Mary K., and Jef Czekaj. The Circulatory Story. Watertown, Charlesbridge, 2010. “Health Line.” Medical Information, Healthline Media, 2005, www.healthline.com/. Accessed 30 Jan. 2017. “Kids Health.” Kids Health, Nemours Foundation, 1995, kidshealth.org/en/teens/?search=y&getfields=subject.description&q=hemoglobin&site=kh&client=ms_t_en&output=xml_no_dtd&gsaRequestId=7457070404200936186&filter=0. Accessed 30 Jan. 2017. “Low Red Blood Cell Count.” New Health Adviser, 2014, www.newhealthadvisor.com/Low-Red-Blood-Cell-Count.html. Accessed 4 Feb. 2017. “Medline Plus.” Medline Plus, 5 Jan. 2017, medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003645.htm. Accessed 30 Jan. 2017. “Power Knowledge Life Science.” Power Knowledge Life Science, Rosen Publising Group, 2017, www.PkLifeScience.com. Accessed 30 Jan. 2017. Red Blood Cell. Google Docs file, 2006. “Sim Science.” Sim Science West Ed, WestEd, 2009, simscientists.org/home/index.php. Accessed 30 Jan. 2017. “Understanding Low Bed Blood Cell Counts.” Caring.com, Caring, 2007, www.caring.com/articles/low-red-blood-cell-count. Accessed 3 Feb. 2017. “What Happens If You Have Too Many Red Blood Cells?” Reference, IAC Publishing, 2017, www.reference.com/health/happens-many-red-blood-cells-891c9a08c6bfe4aa. Accessed 3 Feb. 2017. “What Is Sickle Cell Disease?” National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/sca. Accessed 4 Feb. 2017.