Parts of the blood

1
Parts of the blood
Blood is the fluid circulating in the body that
carries nutrients and oxygen, removes waste
products and fights infection.

• Red Blood Cells
• Plasma
• White Cells
• Platelets

2
Red blood cells
Red blood cells carry oxygen to the bodys organs
and tissues. The inside of the red blood cell is
filled with the protein haemoglobin.
3
Plasma
Blood cells float in a straw-coloured liquid
called plasma Plasma consist of water and many
dissolved substances required in the body
4
White blood cells

• White blood cells attack invading microbes that
  cause disease
• They do this in two ways
• 1. One type of white blood cell produces
  chemicals called antibodies.
• These antibodies lock on to proteins called
  antigens on the surface of the microbes.
• 2. Another type of white blood cell digests any
  microbes the antibodies lock on to.

5
Platelets

• Platelets are
• bits of cell broken off large cells
• They
• help blood to clot
• and stop bleeding at cuts.

6
Blood transfusions save lives everyday

• One-off to replace a sudden loss of blood, e.g.
  following a serious accident, during surgery or
  childbirth, etc.
• Ongoing to treat blood diseases like sickle cell
  anaemia or thalassaemia, or to treat cancer
  patients who survive their treatment.
• Often transfusions are just of the part of the
  blood that the patient needs, e.g. red blood
  cells for sickle cell sufferers, whose own red
  cells are defective.
• Medical breakthroughs like organ transplants
  increase the demand for donated blood.

7
Donating blood

• Whats so special about turning 17?
• At 17, if you are fit and healthy, you can donate
  blood.
• This is a unit of blood, about 450ml.
• Donate this much and you can help save lives.
• Donated blood gets separated, and its four
  component parts can be used to help more than one
  patient in need.
• So, even a single donation can help several
  people.
• Imagine how many people a regular donor can help
• But not everyone can donate to everyone

8
Blood groups

• There are four blood groups A, B, AB and O
• Blood groups are classed as positive with the
  presence of a particular antigen, negative if
  its not there
• Your parents blood groups affect what group you
  belong to
• O is the only blood group that everyone can
  receive whatever group they belong to
• Some blood groups are more common among some
  ethnic communities
• Some ethnic communities are more likely to
  develop particular medical conditions that
  require blood donations

9
Blood groups in detail