The life that runs through our bodies: What you need to know about blood

Have you ever wondered what an amazing job this red liquid that constantly flows through our bodies, called blood, really does? Like a truck carrying goods to a city, blood carries things we need to every part of our body and removes things we don't. It is essential to our lives. Today, let's talk about this life-giving liquid.

What is blood? Why is it so important to us?

Simply put, blood is an essential fluid that carries oxygen and nutrients to our body's tissues, and removes waste products from those tissues. In other words, blood keeps moving throughout our bodies, helping to keep our bodies healthy.

Here are some of the main functions of blood:

• The oxygen that enters our lungs when we breathe and the nutrients we get from the food we eat are carried to every tiny cell in our body.
• It helps carry waste products, such as carbon dioxide, produced in cells back to the lungs and kidneys and remove them from the body.
• They protect us from diseases by fighting germs that enter the body.
• When we get injured , blood clots to stop the bleeding.
• It controls and balances body temperature and blood pressure.

There are four main components of blood. These four components work together to perform all these functions.

Where is blood located? How is it formed?

Blood flows throughout our body's circulatory system. Think of our heart as a water pump. This pump sends blood throughout the body through blood vessels.

• Arteries: These are the vessels that carry oxygen-rich, clean blood from the heart to the rest of the body.
• Veins: These are the vessels that carry used, oxygen-poor blood from the body's tissues back to the heart.
• Capillaries: These are the very fine tubes that connect arteries and veins. Nutrients and oxygen are exchanged between cells through these capillaries.

Now let's see where blood is produced. The main factory where blood is produced is inside our bones . We call this bone marrow . Inside this bone marrow there is a special type of cell, which is called stem cells. All the cells in our blood, such as red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets, are produced from these stem cells. After they mature, they join the blood vessels.

Let's now see what blood contains.

An adult male has about 5 liters of blood in his body. A woman has about 4 liters. Blood makes up about 8% of our body weight. If we look at the composition of this blood:

• Plasma: This makes up only 55% of the blood.
• Red Blood Cells: These make up about 44% of the blood.
• White Blood Cells and Platelets: These two together make up a small amount, about 1%.

Plasma

This is a yellowish liquid. It is more than 90% water. In addition, proteins and salts are dissolved in it. The main function of plasma is to carry other blood cells and necessary substances throughout the body.

Red Blood Cells

The red color is due to a protein called hemoglobin . Hemoglobin is what carries oxygen throughout the body. The lifespan of a red blood cell is about 120 days. As old cells die, new cells are produced in the bone marrow.

White Blood Cells

These are the soldiers of our immune system . They're like the police in our bodies. When enemies like disease-causing germs and cancer cells come, these white blood cells go to fight and protect us. There are several types of these.

Platelets

These are cell fragments shaped like plate fragments. When you cut your hand, the bleeding stops after a while because of these platelets. They are the ones who quickly come and close the wound and put a 'plaster' on it to stop the bleeding.

What are the common diseases that affect the blood?

Like everything else, our blood can develop various diseases. These can be mainly divided into two categories.

Blood Cancer

Blood cancer occurs when abnormal blood cells begin to grow rapidly due to mutations in the genes that produce blood cells.

• Leukemia
• Lymphoma
• Myeloma

Other Blood Disorders

These are non-cancerous conditions where the blood cells are unable to do their job properly.

• Anemia: This is the most common blood disorder. Simply put, anemia is when the body doesn't have enough healthy red blood cells. You may have heard of iron-deficiency anemia . That's the most common type.
• Blood Clotting Disorders: These are problems with platelets, or proteins that help blood clot.
• Bleeding Disorders: This is a condition where the blood does not clot normally. This can cause excessive bleeding even from a minor injury. Hemophilia is a well-known example of this condition.

How do you know if there is a problem with your blood?

The best way to know for sure if there is a problem with your blood is to have a blood test . However, your body also gives you some signals.

The most common symptoms of a blood problem are:

• Fatigue and extreme fatigue: This can be a key symptom of anemia.
• Frequent illness: When white blood cells decrease, the immune system weakens and the risk of illness increases.
• Unexplained bruising or excessive bleeding from minor injuries: This could be a sign of low platelet count.

Another thing is an enlarged spleen . The spleen is an organ that filters and cleans our blood. When there is a problem with the blood cells, it has to work harder and can become swollen.

Our blood is a very valuable resource. It is like the fuel that gives life to our bodies. Therefore, it is very important to take care of the health of the blood.