Anemia is caused when your body does not have enough hemoglobin in your red blood cells. Your red blood cells are responsible for carrying oxygen to all of the cells and tissues in your body, and it is the hemoglobin that allows your red blood cells to properly perform this essential function. When your red ...
Have you recently had your blood drawn at your doctor’s office? Chances are, in addition to other studies, they checked a hematocrit level. A hematocrit level is a way of measuring what percentage of blood cells in your blood stream are red blood cells. In men, normal hematocrit values are between 43% and 54%, and ...
Anemia during pregnancy is a somewhat common problem. If you think you might be anemic it’s important to seek care for the sake of your own health and that of your baby. Anemia is described as a condition in which your red blood cell count is low. Red blood cells help carry oxygen to the ...
The diabetes A1C blood test measures the average glucose tolerance of red blood cells over several months and is used to diagnose and monitor prediabetes, type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. The A1C diabetes test can be performed at a doctor’s office or at home using a special A1C monitor, What Does the A1C ...
There is more to blood than the red substance that comes out of our bodies when we’re injured. In fact, blood is a highly complex part of existence. Within that simple red liquid lies several very important substances. Blood consists of both plasma and the formed elements found within the plasma. This latter is made ...
Anemia is a condition in which your body doesn’t have enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen to your tissues. Your red blood cells contain hemoglobin, an iron-rich protein that enables the cells to carry the oxygen. To produce hemoglobin and red blood cells, your body needs iron, minerals, protein and vitamins. Most people ...
Although there are over 400 types of anemia, many are rare with only about a dozen being routinely seen in the United States. Even so, over 3.5 million Americans are affected by anemia. Medically speaking, anemia is not a disease on its own but rather a symptom of other disorders. Anemia is defined as the ...