Blood - Its structure and components

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  • Blood is the fluid of life, transporting oxygen from the lungs to body tissue and carbon dioxide from body tissue to the lungs.
  • Blood is the fluid of growth, transporting nourishment from digestion and hormones from glands throughout the body.
  • Blood is the fluid of health, transporting disease fighting substances to the tissue and waste to the kidneys.
  • Blood is a very important fluid!
  • The average adult has about 10 pints of blood.

Blood is made from both solid and liquid components. The liquid part is called plasma and in the plasma floats the solid components; these are the white and red blood cells and the platelets.

Plasma is the straw-coloured, clear liquid that holds blood cells and platelets in suspension. Though plasma is approximately 90% water it is still an essential ingredient for human survival.

It might seem like plasma is less important than the blood cells it carries. But that would be like saying that the stream is less important than the fish that swims in it. You can't have one without the other.

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Besides water, plasma also contains dissolved salts and minerals like calcium, sodium and magnesium and a complex mixture of proteins, vitamins and hormones. Microbe-fighting antibodies also travel to the battlefields of disease by hitching a ride in the plasma.

Without plasma, the life-giving blood cells would be left without any transportation.

Never underestimate the importance of plasma.

Red blood cells are small round cells with no nucleus. They are concave on both sides and look a bit like doughnuts!

Red blood cells make up over 99% ...

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