Low Blood Count? You are not alone

By: Janani Prasad, Science Blog Editor

An estimated 2 billion people are anaemic worldwide, of which more than 1 billion live with iron deficiency anemia. This disease is caused by low red blood cell count in the blood. Since it is so prevalent in our world, understanding it is important so that you know what to do if you develop iron deficiency anemia.

Components of Blood

Blood is made up of 55% plasma (water, ions, proteins, nutrients, wastes, and gases), 45% red blood cells, and 1% platelets and white blood cells. Blood is responsible for transporting oxygen to tissues, regulating the acid-base buffering system, and transporting defense mechanisms.

Red Blood Cells

Specifically, anemia focuses on red blood cells (RBC). A red blood cell has no nucleus or mitochondria - instead it has hemoglobin and carries oxygen. Hemoglobin is an iron-rich protein which carries oxygen to tissues in the body. A normal red blood cell has a biconcave structure - similar to a donut shape - which helps it flow easily through blood. Misshapen RBCs can lead to serious problems such as sickle cell disease - a topic that will be covered later in this article. RBCs are produced in bone marrow and are alive for 120 days. Production of RBCs is controlled by a hormone called erythropoietin. The kidneys only release this hormone if oxygen levels are low. Once an RBC’s time is up, it is broken down in the liver and spleen. The negative feedback loop ensures a constant level of RBCs. A negative feedback is when a variable triggers a counter response to restore equilibrium or homeostasis. This article will focus on iron-deficiency anemia and also how to read a blood test result to see if someone has iron-deficiency anemia.

What is iron-deficiency anemia?

Image Source: https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/blood-diseases/anemia-inflammation-chronic-disease

Iron-deficiency anemia is the most common type of anemia; when people hear that someone is anemic, it is the first thing that comes to mind. It occurs when someone doesn’t have enough iron in their body so they can’t make hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is crucial because it helps give RBCs a circular shape and aids in oxygen transport. Symptoms of Iron-deficiency anemia include fatigue, headaches, pain, and lightheadedness. Taking iron supplements and incorporating iron-rich foods, like dark green leafy vegetables, nuts, meat, and eggs, are some ways to treat Iron-deficiency anemia.

How do you read a blood test result to check for iron-deficiency anemia?

If a person experiences any of these symptoms, they should see a doctor. But what test will they take to figure out if she or he is anemic? A peripheral blood smear is one such test doctors can perform. In this test, doctors place a drop of blood on a dye-stained glass slide. The dye helps to differentiate the RBCs and WBCs. When examining a blood smear, it is important to take note of some terminology.

RBC: Red Blood Cell
WBC: White Blood Cell
MCV: Mean Corpuscular Volume (average RBC size)
MCH: Mean Corpuscular hemoglobin (average hemoglobin in RBC)
RDW: Red Cell Distribution Width (variation in size)
Femtoliter: 10^-15liters
Picogram: 10^-12 grams

An easy way to figure out if a person has Iron-deficiency Anemia is to look at the MCV, MCH, and RDW. We can compare the amounts using the table below.

As you can see, a person with low MCV, low MCH, and high RDW expresses iron-deficiency anemia.

The Future for iron-deficiency anemia

There are many diseases related to red blood cells. Iron-deficiency anemia is the most common type; around ⅓ of the population is anemic in some form. A peripheral blood smear is used to check for anemia. Examining blood test results is useful for determining whether someone has Iron-deficiency anemia. Iron-deficiency anemia is a widespread disease. However, thanks to breakthroughs in modern medicine, there are many treatments available to ease symptoms and improve quality of life.