A blood test shows the ratio of the cells of this liquid mobile connective tissue.
This laboratory test is performed first for any disease, since the biological fluid immediately reacts to the slightest changes in the body. One of the main markers is the deviation from the norm of the number of red blood cells.
It is very important to get acquainted with the norm of red blood cells in the blood of adult men and women, as well as in children by age, and find out what this means and how dangerous are the increased or decreased rates.
Normal human level
Erythrocytes( rbc) refer to red blood cells without a nucleus that contain hemoglobin, in the form of a biconcave disk. Cell life period is 3-4 months .
Erythrocytes are formed in adults in the bone marrow of the spine, skull, ribs, in children the endings of long bones of the legs and hands are involved.
Cells, the life cycle of which is completed, die in the spleen and liver .The replacement is replaced by new ones - reticulocytes, for which an indicator of 0.2-1.2% is considered normal. The indicator demonstrates the ability of the bone marrow to produce erythrocytes.
These blood cells perform the following functions:
- transport oxygen from the lungs, returning carbon dioxide;
- delivers nutrients to the internal organs;
- bind toxins;
- is transferred to the surface of the antibody;
- is responsible for the acid-base balance;
- act as catalysts for biochemical processes;
- are involved in blood clotting.
This video tells you what red blood cells are in the blood test, for which they answer why their number increases or decreases, what threatens the body is that there are many or few of them:
As a child
| Age | Indicator( x 1012 at1 L) |
| At birth - blood from the umbilical cord | 5,4-7,2 |
| Up to the 3rd day | 4,0-6,6 |
| 1st year | 3,0-5,4 |
| 1-12 years | 3,6-4,9 |
| with 12 years | 3,6-5,6 |
For men and women after 20 years
| Age range | Indicator( x 1012 per 1 L) | |
| male | female | |
| Up to 39 years old | 4.2-5.6 | 3.5-5.0 |
| Up to 49 years old | 4.0-5.6 | 3, 6-5,1 |
| Up to 59 years | 3.9-5.6 | |
| Up to 65 years | 3.9-5.3 | 3.5-5.2 |
| After 65 years | 3.1-5.7 | 3,4-5,2 |
Reasons for the rise and fall of
What does this mean and why is it that according to the results of the general analysis the average volume of red blood cells in the blood of adults and children is increased or decreased? Let's consider all variants.
High indicators of
The condition in which the level of red cells rises is called erythrocytosis .This is not a pathology, but its indicator. High erythrocytes threaten with thickening of blood and the formation of blood clots.
The level of erythrocytes increases with such heart and vascular diseases:
- tetrad;
- triad;
- pentad of Fallot;
- Ebstein's disease;
- Guysbeck syndrome;
- Eisenmenger syndrome;
- Tossig syndrome,
- Tossig-Bing syndrome,
- Tossig-Snellen-Albers syndrome,
- varicose veins;
- atherosclerosis;
- thrombosis.
Rising red blood cell count - is a symptom of deadly ailments, such as : liver, kidney cancer, also indicates the following conditions:
- III, IV degree of obesity;
- allergy;
- of blood disease;
- bad habits, in particular tobacco smoking;
- reception of drugs that raise the level of iron;
- dysfunction of the adrenal cortex;
- oppression of bone marrow activity;
- uncontrolled use of phytopreparations based on dog rose, nettle, ashberry;
- unbalanced diet, abuse of beets, nuts, grapes, apples, melons, carrots;
- dehydration( dehydration), which often accompanies prolonged vomiting and diarrhea;
- acute bronchitis, rhinitis;
- increased blood pressure in the pulmonary circulation, which is also called small;
- accommodation in a mountainous area;
- the use of medicines;
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The classification of erythrocytosis has been adopted:
- absolute , in which erythrocyte production is enhanced;
- acquired absolute - develops against a background of kidney diseases, increased function of the endocrine glands, hypoxia( oxygen starvation);
- hereditary absolute - develops by hereditary factor;
- relative - an increase in the level of red blood cells is due to a reduction in the volume of plasma, the process is similar to dehydration of the body.
So, with an increase in erythropoietin, kidney tumors and lung diseases are suspected. In smokers, the condition is accompanied by an excess of carbon dioxide. The same happens with heart pathologies, when venous blood enriched with carbon dioxide is mixed with arterial blood, transporting oxygen.
Low content of
Erythropenia is a condition characterized by a decrease in the concentration of red cells. Erythropenia occurs in vasculitis, which is accompanied by inflammation of the walls of blood vessels.
Causes of the disorder:
- Anemia of different origin.
- Blood loss ( acute or chronic).Occurs when large vessels are damaged, internal organs diseases - stomach ulcers, hemorrhoids. Due to loss of blood, posthemorrhagic anemia may develop.
- Liver diseases associated with tissue changes( cirrhosis and others).
- Insufficient formation of erythrocytes .It is observed with deficiency of vitamins of group B( folic acid, B12), iron. The reason - in an unbalanced diet or disorders of assimilation due to pathologies - for example, the digestive system.
- Genetically caused ailments of blood ( ovalocytosis, microspherocytosis), in which red bodies are characterized by structural defects and are destroyed prematurely.
- Hypothyroidism of - deficiency of thyroid function.
- Lead poisoning.
- Infectious disease - pertussis, diphtheria, parasitic infestations. Erythropenia is caused by toxins that suppress the activity of the bone marrow.
- Oncology .Malignant process can develop in the bone marrow or spread as metastases from other organs.
- Autoimmune pathologies .Erythropenia in this case indicates systemic ailments of connective tissue, in which the body produces antibodies, including erythrocytes.
- Drug therapy by some means. The condition can provoke fonobarbital, chemotherapy drugs, antibiotics.
There are such types of erythropenia:
- absolute - erythrocytes in insufficient quantity produces bone marrow, cells are forced to die;
- relative , when the concentration decreases due to a large inflow into the bloodstream of the fluid.
When diagnosing , attention is drawn to the reticulocytes , in terms of the level of their content, the bone marrow activity on the hematopoiesis is assessed.
Reduced color index values in a general blood test, or CP( determined by the hemoglobin content in erythrocytes, the norm of 0.86-1.1) are a sign of iron deficiency anemia, thalassemia.
If the CP is within the specified range, then is suspected of a tumor, aplastic anemia, suffered from hemorrhage. If the norm is exceeded, it is a deficiency of vitamin B9, B12, myelodysplastic syndrome( a violation of the hematopoietic function).
This video tells how the red blood cell research is conducted:
Deviations in infants and toddlers
The highest red blood cell content is observed in newborns .A large concentration of red cells during the period of intrauterine development provides the body, which grows in the body of the body, with oxygen. With increased erythrocyte death, jaundice of newborns develops during this period.
In children, a decrease in the level of erythrocytes is more often detected. A low indicator is alarming, since it indicates a suffered trauma, which the child does not always tell about, as well as genetically conditioned pathologies.
Erythropenia occurs in the hemolytic disease of the newborn, arising from the action of maternal antibodies transmitted through the placenta or breastfeeding.
Rise of erythrocyte level occurs for the same reasons as in adults , and also for physiological reasons in healthy children:
- when doing sports and regular physical activities, when the transportation of oxygen to the organs is activated;
- in "passive smokers".
What to do if the amount is higher or lower than the norm
If you suspect a change in the level of red blood cells, they immediately go to the doctor, undergo unscheduled prophylactic medical examination. The change in the formula of the body's main body fluid is not only an alarming symptom, but also the cause of other diseases.
The therapeutic diet is shown. So, with an elevated level of red blood cells, fatty foods, iron-containing foods( cereals, meat, fruits, some berries) are contraindicated. Adjust the blood density can be a special diet. The blood of oatmeal is diluted, tomatoes are raw fruits and juice, beets, apples of green color, berries, cocoa.
