The river of life, the blood is the body’s primary means of transportation. Blood is a part of the hematopoietic system, which also includes lymphatic tissue, bone marrow, and the spleen. Blood is a complex transport medium that performs vital pick-up and delivery services for the body by picking up food and oxygen from the digestive and respiratory systems, and delivering those vital elements to different cells of the body. In exchange of the blood and oxygen, blood then picks up wastes from the cells for delivery to the urinary organs. These functions could not be provided for the individual cells without the blood. Like any other structure of the body, blood can be attacked by many types of disease, such as Leukemia. Leukemia is a general name given to a number of blood cancers that affect the blood.
Blood transports hormones, enzymes, buffers, other types of biochemicals that are important in body functions. The blood is made of plasma and formed elements. Plasma is the clear, straw-colored fluidpart of the blood. The formed elements consist of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. The red blood cells (erythrocytes), play a critical role in transporting oxygen and carbon dioxide to various parts of the body, and play an important role in the homeostasis of the acid base balance of the body. The white blood cells (leukocytes), are responsible for cellular defense (phagocytosis of pathogenic microorganisms), humoral defense (secretion of antibodies involved in immune system response and regulation), and play a role in the body’s inflammatory response (secretion of Heparin and Histamine). Platelets play an important role in homeostasis of the blood and the coagulation (blood clotting).
The average adult has appro...
... middle of paper ...
...efinite way to prevent it from affecting the lives of many people. Fortunately, the medical world has developed many treatment options for the different types of leukemia and many people are able to survive and beat this potentially deadly cancer.
Works Cited
Bozzone, Donna M. “Leukemia.”Infobase Publishing Inc. 2009.11-134.
CTCA Cancer Treatment Centers & Hospitals.Integrative Cancer Care.Web. 15 Jan 2012. http://cancercenter.com/.
Lerner, Adrienne W. “Leukemia.”Greenhaven Press. 2009. 14-135.
Leukemia and Lymphoma Society- Official Website.Web. 23 Jan 2012. http://www.leukemia.org.
“Leukemia- Symptoms, Types, Causes, Diagnosis and Treatment Options for Leukemia.”WebMD- Better Information Better Health.Web. 3 Feb 2012. http://www.webmd.com/cancer/tc/leukemia-topic-overview.
Parks, Peggy J. “Leukemia.”ReferencePoint Press Inc. 2010. 8-73.
Because of advancements in technology and funding survival rates have increased in each patient and quality of life due to better chemotherapy and radio therapy drugs are helping millions of survivors round the world to lead a generally normal life without the risk of the cancer returning.
Thrombocytopenia affects 6% to 10% of all pregnant women and, other than anemia, is the most common hematologic disorder in pregnancy (McCrae, 2010). Blood consists of three main ingredients: red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Each plays an essential function to provide the human body with elements and protects the body against any exterior viruses and infections. Platelets are responsible for helping blood to clot. A deficiency or disorder of platelets leads to a disease called Thrombocytopenia.
Red blood cells deliver the oxygen to the muscles and organs of the body.
Protection- The cardiovascular system protects the body through its white blood cells. Platelets and red blood cells form scabs to seal wounds and prevent pathogens from entering the body and liquids from leaking out.
...0’s cancer mortality rates have dramatically decreased from 10% to over 80% for leukemia. Overall decline in mortality for cancer was nearly 54% from 1978 to 2008 (National Cancer Institute, 2011). Decrease in mortality rates are due to improvements in cancer treatments. Recent advances in treatments are due to aggressive cancer therapies and collaboration of findings from clinical trials. More than 80 percent of patients are expected to be long term cancer survivors (National Cancer Institute, 2011).
Blood is an important fluid in humans and other animals. It provides nourishment to all body organs, tissues and cells. The blood also carry away waste materials that are not needed in the body again. Blood in a human is about 5dm3 with a mass of about 5kg. The blood comprises of a few cells suspended in the blood plasma. The blood plasma is a pale yellow liquid which is mostly water with a variety of dissolved substances in it.
The public health issue the organization is working to address is to find a cure for blood cancer. At an estimated amount close to 1,012,533 people in the United States are have been diagnosed with leukemia, Hodgkin lymphoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and myeloma. A majority of the diagnosed are living with or are in remission. According to LLS, every four minutes someone new is diagnosed with blood cancer and approximately every 10 minutes dies from blood cancer.
“The word 'leukemia' is a very frightening word. In many instances, it's a killer and it's something that you have to deal with in a very serious and determined way if you're going to beat it” - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Many people, including tons of children, fight leukemia every day trying to beat this vicious cancer. Without knowing how leukemia is exactly caused, it puts a damper on how to avoid it.
The blood then passes through the liver which removes impurities and toxic substances. The “cleansed” blood with its valuable cargo of vitamins and minerals, flows to the different organs of the body.
The Circulatory System is a transportation and cooling system for the body. The Red Blood Cells act like billions of little mail men carrying all kinds of things that are needed by the cells, also RBC's carry oxygen and nutrients to the cells. All cells in the body require oxygen to remain alive. Also there is another kind of cells called white blood cells moving in the system. Why blood cells protect from bacteria and other things that are harmful. The Circulatory system contains vein arteries, veins are used to carry blood to the heart and arteries to carry the blood away. The blood inside veins is where most of the oxygen and nutrients are and is called deoxygenated and the color of the blood is dark red. However, blood in the arteries are also full of oxygen but is a bright red. The main components of the circulatory system are the heart, blood, and blood vessels.
Leukemia is a cancer of the white blood cells. It begins in the bone marrow, the soft tissue inside the bones. Within the bone marrow is where white blood cells are created, that help fight off bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms within the body that cause infections. The disease develops to when the white blood cells are being produced out of control. The cells that are being produced do not work properly as they should, they grow faster than a normal cell would and don’t know when to stop growing. Overtime, if not treated properly, the white blood cells will over crowd blood cells, creating a serious problem such as anemia, bleeding and infection. Leukemia cells can spread to the lymph nodes and other organs in the body causing swelling and pain.
According to this quotation, without white blood cells, also known as leukocytes, we would not be able to survive. White blood cells are our body’s number one defense against infections. They help keep us clean from foreign bacteria that enter our bodies. Statistics show that there are five to ten thousand white blood cells per micro liter of blood, however this number will increase during an illness. White blood cells can differ in many ways, such as, size, shape and staining traits. There are five different kinds of white blood cells that fall into two separate categories. One category is called, granular leukocytes, and the other is called agranular white cells.
Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Retrieved January 13, 2014, from http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/990113-overview#a0156. Mayo Clinic Staff (2012, September 15). Acute lymphocytic leukemia Risk factors - Diseases and Conditions - Mayo Clinic. Retrieved January 16, 2014, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/acute-lymphocytic-leukemia/basics/risk-factors/con-20042915.
Our blood is able to connect all our organs together to create one organism and is able to transport the most vital and important molecules through these blood streams. Hence, blood cells are needed for immune system function and metabolic functions.
According to KenHub, the blood consists of cells, cell fragment and an aqueous solution(plasma).45% of blood are red blood cells, white blood cell and platelets and the rest are plasma which consists of water, plasma protein and