The blood and its functions

Blood - a liquid that bathes all the tissues, bringing them food and oxygen and taking carbon dioxide. In addition, blood protects the body against infection and any foreign substances, maintains a constant internal body temperature, regulates flow to the tissues of the active compounds, without which they can not exist.

The blood volume in a child depends on his age and weight. For example, in the newly born child per 1 kg of body weight is necessary to 140 ml of blood, then this figure is gradually reduced and was equal to 100 ml / kg. The smaller the child, the higher the proportion of his blood.

If the child is healthy, his blood biochemical composition changes with age is relatively small, while the cellular composition of the blood undergoes significant changes. As is well known, a person's blood contains red blood cells (erythrocytes), white (leukocytes) and platelets (thrombocytes).

Red blood cells carry oxygen to the tissues. Leukocytes perform a protective function, their number depends on the activity of the bone marrow, as well as the decay rate and excretion. All white blood cells are divided into granular (granulocytes - their core consists of grains) and nezernistye (agranulocytes, with a solid core). Granulocytes, in turn, are divided into neutrophils, eosinophils (the function of protection against allergies) and basophils (involved in immune reactions). Neutrophils (the main defender against infection) are divided into young (immature), stab (not quite ripe) and segmented (mature). Agranulocytes divided into cells (humoral immunity they provide, that is, the formation of antibodies) and monocytes (involved in cellular immunity Immunity - types and characteristics in children in adults   and develop the factors affecting the formation of blood).

In general blood test Complete blood count how to understand why taking blood from a finger   WBC necessarily calculated as per 100 white blood cells calculated the percentage of certain types of white blood cells. At the same time they are written from left to right on a uniform: the young - basophils - eosinophils - stab - segmented - cells - monocytes. If among the granular white blood cells more than in normal stab forms say neutrophilic shift to the left if segmented - right.

Changes in the blood of children

The composition of red blood cells in the first days after birth vary considerably. Immediately after the birth of a child in the blood contains large amounts of red blood cells (when they are larger than in older children diameter) with a high content of hemoglobin. After the first day, these figures decrease and reach a minimum at the end of the first week (erythrocytes) and by the middle of the second week (hemoglobin). Newborn Blood contains many of reticulocytes (young forms of erythrocytes), which indicates the activity of its blood system. By the sixth month of life the number of red blood cells and hemoglobin decreased to normal.

Just born baby has a blood leukocyte count increased, thus it meets a lot of immature forms and a large number of neutrophils Neutrophils - protect against infection . Then, on the fifth day of life occurs a so-called cross-hairs, in which the number of neutrophils is decreased, and increases the number of lymphocytes, immature leukocytes disappear.

Later in the growth of the child's WBC undergoes numerous changes, especially changes the ratio of the number of neutrophils and lymphocytes. So, after a year, the number of neutrophils is growing again, and lymphocytes - falls. At the age of four re-crossing occurs in the leucocyte count and neutrophil count is equated with the number of lymphocytes. Then slowly (up to 12) increases the number of neutrophils, lymphocytes decreases. At age 12, the composition of white blood cells of the child is not very different from the blood of an adult.

The composition of the blood of children of different ages

If we consider the individual performance in children of different ages, they will look like this:

• newly born child: erythrocytes - 4, 3-7, 6, 10 to 12 degrees of cells / L, hemoglobin - 180-240 g / l, 3-51% reticulocytes, platelets 180-490 10 9 cells degree / l , an ESR - 2-4 mm / h, leucocytes 8 5-24 5 9 10 degrees; WBC: basophils - 0-1%, eosinophils - 0, 5-6%, 1-17% stab, segmented - 45-80%, 12-36% lymphocytes, monocytes - 2-12%;
• baby in one year: erythrocytes - 3, 6-4, 9, 10 to 12 degrees of cells / L, hemoglobin - 110-135 g / l, 3-15% reticulocytes, platelets 180-400 10 9 cells degree / l , an ESR - 4-12 mm / h, leukocytes 6, 0-12, 0 to 10 degrees at 9; WBC: basophils - 0-1%, eosinophils - 0, 5-7%, stab 0, 5-4%, segmented - 15-45%, 38-72% lymphocytes, monocytes - 2-12%;
• child 5 years: erythrocytes - 3, 5-4, 5 of 10 to 12 degrees of cells / L, hemoglobin - 110-140 g / l, 3-12% reticulocytes, platelets Platelets - what they are for the body?   160-390 10 9 cells degree / L ESR - 4-12 mm / h, leukocytes 5, 0-12, 0 to 10 degrees at 9; WBC: basophils - 0-1%, eosinophils - 0, 5-5%, stab 0, 5-5%, segmented - 25-60%, 26-60% lymphocytes, monocytes - 2-10%.

The composition of the baby's blood can be a lot to tell the pediatrician.

Galina Romanenko

Hemoglobin and its function in the organism

Everyone knows that if the reduced hemoglobin - it is bad, it means that the person suffers from anemia or anemia. And if on the contrary, the hemoglobin above normal - good or bad? Should I worry about the person, if it raised hemoglobin? It turns out, is not so simple: you need to be surveyed, and only then can you know if you have any disease or is a variant of the norm.

Hemoglobin - a protein complex composed of red blood cells that carries oxygen transfer from the lungs to the tissues and is involved in the transport of carbon dioxide from the tissues in the respiratory system. The structure includes a simple protein hemoglobin (globin - 96%) and iron non-protein group (gems ​​- 4%). With a lack of hemoglobin (and hence oxygen) violated the metabolic processes in cells, tissues and organs. In normal hemoglobin men than in women (135-160 and 120-140 grams per liter of blood, respectively).

In some diseases, the number of erythrocytes and their hemoglobin content are not always changed in parallel. There are diseases in which the quantity of erythrocytes, but increases the content of hemoglobin. And there are those in which simultaneously increases the number of erythrocytes and hemoglobin.

Elevated hemoglobin as a variant of the norm

Elevated levels of hemoglobin in the blood is typical for the residents of mountainous areas and climbers. It is a reaction of compensation - because the body adapts to the insufficient amount of oxygen contained in the air.

Some increase in hemoglobin Increased hemoglobin - when necessary bloodletting   may occur after exercise or walking outdoors.

Pernicious anemia

One of the causes of increased amounts of hemoglobin Hemoglobin: worse - low or high?   Blood may be a lack of vitamin B12 and folic acid. An example of this is a pernicious disease or pernicious anemia (Addison-Biermer).

Megaloblastic anemia may occur against the background of family history, if stomach diseases (atrophic gastritis - thinning of the gastric mucosa and decrease its secretory capacity), combined with autoimmune (fault immunity Immunity - types and characteristics in children in adults   - The development of antibodies Antibodies - "soldiers' immunity   to its own cells, in particular cells of the gastric mucosa) processes. All this reduces the possibility of absorption of vitamin B12. Particularly sensitive to the deficiency of vitamin B12 bone marrow and nervous system tissue.

With pernicious anemia in humans appears fatigue, drowsiness, loss of appetite, often a pain in the mouth or tongue, unpleasant sensations (tingling) in the arms and legs. Man loses weight, impaired gait, may also occur with visual impairment, and disorders of the urinary organs.

The examination usually reveal a bright red 'painted' tongue, pale skin, jaundice of the sclera and a small number of neurological symptoms. In a laboratory study found a reduced amount of modified erythrocytes (red blood cells) with elevated levels of hemoglobin.

Treatment of pernicious anemia vitamin B12 is performed. With proper and timely treatment, the prognosis is favorable. But signs of nervous system may persist if the patient treatment was started later than six months after the onset of the disease.