Blood facts
- Blood fights against infection and helps heal wounds, keeping you healthy.
- Blood makes up about 7% of your body's weight.
- A newborn baby has about one cup of blood in his or her body.
- White blood cells are the body's primary defense against infection.
- Granulocytes, a type of white blood cell, roll along blood vessel walls to search and destroy bacteria.
- Red blood cells carry oxygen to the body's organs and tissue.
- There are about one billion red blood cells in two to three drops of blood.
- Red blood cells live about 120 days in the circulatory system.
- Platelets help blood to clot and give those with leukemia and other cancers a chance to live.
- Apheresis is a special kind of blood donation that allows a donor to give specific blood components, such as platelets.
- If all blood donors gave 2 to 4 times a year, it would help prevent all blood shortages.
- The fear of Blood is called Hemophobia or Hematophobia. Common symptoms of this fear are nausea, fear of dying, sweating, dry mouth, etc. It only takes a realization to overcome it.
Blood Facts in General
- There is no substitute for human Blood
- Blood makes up about 7% of your body's weight.
- An average adult has about 14 to 18 pints of Blood.
- One standard unit or pint of Blood equals about two cups.
- Blood carries oxygen and nutrients to all of the body.
- Blood carries carbon dioxide and other waste products back to the lungs, kidneys and liver for disposal.
- Blood fights against infection and helps heal wounds.
- One unit of donated whole Blood is separated into components before use (red Blood cells, white Blood cells, plasma, platelets, etc.)
- There are four main Blood types: A, B, AB and O.
- Each Blood type is either Rh positive or negative.
- There are about one billion red Blood cells in a few drops of whole Blood.
- Red Blood cells live about 120 days in our bodies.
- Red Blood cells can be stored under normal conditions for up to 42 days.
- Frozen red Blood cells can be stored for ten years, and more.
- Platelets must be used within five days.
- Platelets are small Blood cells that assist in the process of Blood clotting helping those with leukemia and other cancers, controlling bleeding.
- Plasma, the fourth major component of Blood, is a sticky, pale yellow fluid mixture of water, protein and salts. It is 95% water. The other 5% is made up of nutrients, proteins and hormones.
- Blood Plasma constitutes 55% of the volume of human Blood.
- Plasma helps maintain Blood pressure, carries Blood cells, nutrients, enzymes and hormones, and supplies critical proteins for Blood clotting and immunity.
- Type AB plasma has been considered as the universal Blood plasma type, and therefore AB plasma is given to patients with any Blood type.
- Frozen Plasma can be stored for up to one year.
- Human Blood; red Blood cells, white Blood cells, plasma and platelets are made naturally by the body in the bone marrow.
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Only 38% of the blood is collected in the developing world where 82% of the world's population lives.