What Are Red Blood Cells (Erythrocytes)
What Are Red Blood Cells? (RBCs)
Formal Name = Erythrocytes
RBCs represent about 45% of TOTAL blood volume.
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The structure of a red blood cell is a small, thin, bi-concave disc shape allowing it to be good at its "job.” What's its job?
Using hemoglobin as its major protein, red blood cells are predominantly used for oxygen (O2) transport to the cells throughout your body
Once the oxygen is released, red blood cells transport carbon dioxide (CO2) back to your lungs where the carbon dioxide is exchanged for oxygen and the process repeats
RBCs sort of act like a school bus picking up kids from school (or lungs) and transporting them to their respective homes (parts of your body)
Red Blood Cells have an average life span of about 3-4 months. "Old" red blood cells are broken down in the liver and the spleen. New ones are created in the bone marrow (the center of your bones).
Red blood cell production is controlled by the hormone erythropoietin (EPO). EPO is stored and released by the kidneys in response to low levels of circulating oxygen. This creates a negative feed-back loop that allows the body to regulate the total number of red blood cells in your body at once keeping them in the proper range.
