Hemoglobin Hemoglobin (abbreviated Hb) is a red substance (made of iron and protein) in the blood that carries oxygen to the cells in the body from the lungs. Hemoglobin also carries carbon dioxide away from the cells to the lungs, which is then exhaled from the body. Carbon dioxide...
A lower-than-normal number of red blood cells is referred to as anemia and hemoglobin levels reflect this number. There are many reasons (causes) for anemia. What causes low hemoglobin levels? Some of the more common causes of anemia include: Loss of blood (traumatic injury, surgery, ...
Insulin is a hormone that allows the body to efficiently use glucose as fuel. After carbohydrates are broken down into sugars in the stomach, glucose enters the blood circulation and stimulates the pancreas to release insulin in the proper amount. Insulin allows body cells to uptake glucose as e...
Red blood cells (RBC)contain an important protein calledhemoglobinthat carries oxygen so it can be delivered throughout your body. White blood cells (WBC)are part of theimmune systemand protect our bodies from infection and attack by recognizing bacteria, viruses, and cancer cells. Plateletsare r...
Low MCHC can also be due to thalassemia. Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder in which the body does not make enough hemoglobin.7 It can also be due topancytopenia, which is a combination of your body not producing enough red blood cells (anemia), white blood cells (leukopenia), and...
Hemoglobin is the protein inred blood cellsresponsible for transporting oxygen. Very low hemoglobin is calledanemia. "With around 10 percent of people over age 65 having anemia in the Americas and Europe and up to 45 percent in African and southeast Asian countries, these results could have impor...
Sickle cell disease is a genetic alteration that causes some hemoglobin molecules to be defective (the defective hemoglobin is termed hemoglobin S). When red blood cells have hemoglobin S, and are subjected to low oxygen levels, they can become crescent or "sickle-shaped" and do not easily mov...
Previous work has shown that high-altitude deer mice have evolved a higher hemoglobin O2 affnity and other coordinated changes across the O2 transport cascade that enable higher metabolic rates in hypoxia. Red blood cells (RBC) are the functional unit of O2 and carbon dioxide transport in the ...
Low Oxygen Level The body tries to compensate and increase the production of red blood cells for any medical condition that can cause low oxygen levels. These conditions include: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) Pulmonary fibrosis and other lung diseases Heart disease (e.g., congenital...
red blood cells and similar to other tissue cells. They do not undergo cell division (known as mitosis) in the blood although some have the capability of cell division. WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF WHITE BLOOD CELLS? There are five main types of white blood cells, which can be quantifi...