Corpuscular Volume and Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration Discussion
This is a 2 part assignment. The 1st part is to read the material and then write the initial discussion post. The 2nd part is to write a short reply to 2 classmates posts. Once the initial post is completed I will post here 2 other classmates posts for you to write a short reply to.
Assignment:
The physical exam of a young healthy female indicated a RBC count of 5,400,000/mm3 and a hematocrit of 47%. Subsequent tests were completed a few weeks after the initial ones and resulted in an increase in both. When asked if any circumstances had changed in her life recently, she admitted to taking up smoking. Describe ways her new habit may have an effect on her RBC count and the physiological connection with other body systems.
After you post your initial post, reply to two or more of your classmates’ postings.
POST 1
Smoking is widely known as a bad habit that has very unhealthy effects on the human body. This female’s tests display the effects of smoking on a level not commonly seen. But how does smoking effect the body? More specifically, why does it effect her blood by increasing her RBC count? How does this interact with other body systems?
Why did the RBC count increase? Inhaling the smoke of the cigarettes damages the lungs by irritating and coating the alveoli in the lungs, which inhibits the exchange of o2 and Co2. Therefore, it decreases the amount of o2 in the body’s system. This decreased amount of o2 stimulates the release of Erythropoietin which in turn stimulates the formation of Erythrocytes released by the kidney and liver. Then, the red bone marrow is stimulated which increases the RBC levels to compensate for the low o2 and return the body to homeostasis.
How does this effect the other systems of the body? Well, the smoking increases the amount of RBCs which if there are too many can make the blood too thick. This fact combined with the fact that smoking causes vasoconstriction increases the risk of ischemia, clots, and poor circulation. Smoking therefore increases the risk of strokes, heart failure and M.I.s
POST 2
Well the affected would be that smoking do lead to deranged morphology of red blood cells. Which results in reduced oxygen carrying capacity of the blood. Smoking can lead to an increase in red blood cells too. Smoking deprives the bone marrow of oxygen, and its tricked into thinking that it needs to boost its productionof red blood cells, the carriers oxygen.
So, and other words smoking cause her RBC to go up not having oxygen reaching air way.
Is also shown that the decrease in haemoglobin levels in a smoker’s blood is compensated for by higher red blood cell production. This is called polycythaemia. But this is not always enough to lower the risk of anaemia, as there are other factors that can cause a greater risk. The smokers had significantly higher levels of white blood cell, hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration . All other measured parameters did not differ significantly.
