components of the blood Flashcards
(51 cards)
blood is made up of what?
plasma - that contains red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. also contains lots of clotting factors e.g. fibrinogen
once clotting factors are removed from the blood what is left?
- serum
what does serum contain?
- glucose
- electrolytes e.g. sodium and potassium
- proteins e.g. immunoglobulins and hormones
blood cells develop in what?
- bone marrow
in an adult where is bone marrow found?
pelvis, vertebrae, ribs and sternum
what is a pluripotent haematopoietic stem cell?
- undifferentiated cells that have potential to transform into a variety of blood cells
what do pluripotent haematopoietic stem cells become?
- myeloid stem cells
- lymphoid stem cells
- dendritic cells - via various intermediate stages
red blood cells development?
myeloid stem cells -> reticulocytes
what are reticulocytes?
immature red blood cells
how long do RBCs survive for?
- up to 3 months
platelet development?
myeloid stem cells -> megakaryocytes
how long do platelets last for?
- 10 days
how long do platelets last for?
- 10 days
platelet function
- role is to clump together and plug gaps where blood clots need to form
white blood cell development?
myeloid stem cell -> myeloblast -> promyelocytes that can then become
- monocytes - then macrophages
- neutrophils
- eosinophils
- mast cells
- basophils
lymphocyte development?
lymphoid stem cell -> B cells or T cells
B cells mature where?
in bone marrow
what do B lymphocytes differentiate into?
- plasma cells
- memory B cells
T lymphocytes mature where?
- thymus gland
what do T cells differentiate into?
- CD4 cells (T helper cells)
- CD8 cells (cytotoxic T cells)
- natural killer cells
what is a blood film used for?
- used to examine blood using a microscope to check for abnormal shapes, sizes and contents of cells and note abnormal inclusions in blood
anisocytosis refers to what?
- variation in size of the RBCs. these can be seen in myelodysplasic syndrome as well as some forms of anaemia
target cells?
- central pigmented area surrounded by a pale area, surrounded by a ring of thicker cytoplasm on outside. makes it look like a bull’s eye target
-> can be seen in iron deficiency anaemia and post-splenectomy
Heinz bodies?
- individual blobs seen inside red blood cells caused by denatured globin.
-> can be seen in G6PD and alpha-thalassaemia