blood facts:
White blood cells
White blood cells are bigger than red blood cells.
They act as the defenders of the body against
germs and foreign bodies. There usually aren't
an awful lot of white blood cells in your body, but
when you get sick, your body creates more to help
to protect you.
There are three types of white blood cells:
Granulocytes
When you cut or scrape yourself and your
skin swells up around the edges, this is
the granulocytes! They help clean up and
help wounds heal after an injury. They
surround and destroy things that aren't
supposed to be in your body, preventing
infection, and also killing germs.
Lymphocytes
The two types of lymphocytes are called
T-cells and B-cells. B-cells make antibodies,
which are special proteins that recognise
things that shouldn't be in your body – for
example a virus or bacteria. These are very
specific – each antibody can only recognise a
particular germ. B-cells then can remember
how to make the special antibody for that
particular germ, and can kill that germ faster
in future. T-cells make special chemicals that
help fight the infection instead of making
antibodies.
A newborn ba
by only has
one cup o
about
f blood in its
body!
It would take
1,200,000 m
osquitos
each suck
ing at the sa
me time
to comple
tely drain yo
u of blood!
A red blood ce
ll can make
complete
a
trip around y
our body
in 30 seco
nds.
There are one
hundred tho
miles of b
usand
lood vessels
in the
average h
uman.
Platelets
Platelets are tiny round cells that help to prevent
you bleeding too much when you get a scrape or
cut. When you cut or scrape yourself you break
blood vessels, and if a platelet reaches a broken
blood vessel it sends out a special chemical signal
to make other platelets nearby stick together
inside the vessel. When this plug is formed they
send out a message for clotting factors which
work together making protein threads. Then the
platelets and protein threads come together to
make a blood clot. This keeps your blood inside
the vessel while the cut heals up.
Plasma
Blood is largely made up of a yellowish liquid
called plasma, which is mostly water. It carries
nutrients, proteins and hormones throughout the
body. It also carries away cell waste – anything
the cell doesn't need anymore.
Monocytes
Monocytes fight infection by surrounding and
destroying viruses and bacteria.
FUSE
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