What are red blood cells?

Red blood cells are those which carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. They also carry carbon dioxide back to the lungs. So it can be exhaled. If the RBC count is low the body may not be getting the oxygen it needs. If the count is too high, there is a risk that the red blood cells will clump together and block tiny blood vessels. The body contains more of red blood cells than any other type of cell and each red blood cell has a life span of about 4 months. Each day, the body produces new red blood cells to replace those that die or are lost from the body.

Conditions effecting red blood cells

Conditions that increase RBC values are smoking, exposure to carbon monoxide, long-term lung disease, kidney disease, certain forms of heart disease and alcoholism, liver disease or a rare disorder of the bone marrow. These conditions affect the body's water content and can increase RBC values. It includes dehydration, diarrhea or vomiting, excessive sweating, severe burns and the use of diuretics.

Causes of getting too many red blood cell

High red blood cell count can be due to lack of oxygen, which can occur from living at a high altitude. Due to dehydration from frequent diarrhea, excessive sweating or severe burns can increases the count too. Smoking can be the cause too. Too much exposure to carbon monoxide or certain forms of heart disease can increase it. A rare disorder of the bone marrow can also be the cause for too many red cells

Disease of red blood cell

When there are too many red blood corpuscles in the body, which is known as polycythaemia. It is a well established condition, but it is not very common. In primary polycythaemia, for unknown reasons the bone marrow produces too many red blood cells. So instead of having a count 4-million to 5-million red blood cells, the person would have 8-million to 9-million red blood cells. This causes the blood to thicken and the main problem with thick viscous blood is to clots more readily. This can result in thrombosis in various parts of the body. So it is a condition that must be diagnosed and taken seriously.