Kendra's Blood

Today's Medical Topic:  Is a blood smear slide of my friend Kendra's blood.

What Are We Looking For:  Erythyocytes with holes in them. We will also be discussing why Kendra should be taking an iron supplement.

The smear in question

So not the greatest smear.  Has a few dings.  Not very smooth.  Looks like maybe someone had a seizure while doing it (or maybe passed out) but still, they got the job done.

400x Magnification

Here we have some relatively normal (not from the above slide) red blood cells.  Henceforth known as erythrocytes.  As most of you know an erythrocyte has a bi-concave shape which leads to a disc-like cell with a thin center.  Ideally the center is not super thin and indeed with enough iron in your diet your red cells are just perfectly shaped.

Perfection.

That single iron atom should sit like a jewel in the center of each hemoglobin unit, lending your red cells into that ideal bi-concave shape for optimal oxygen-carrying capacity.  It is a beautiful model of natural geometry.  Each red blood cell contains about 250 million hemoglobin units and can scoop up one billion oxygen molecules in optimal conditions.

However, not everyone can be perfect.  Sometimes, despite our best efforts, we fall a bit short...

400x Donuts

In medical terms, half these erythrocytes "be lookin' like donuts".  And as previously discussed that is not a good thing.  Half the erythrocytes in this case have their oxygen carrying capacity greatly diminished.  You need that iron atom at the center of each heme unit for the perfect cell shape and therefore the O2 carrying capacity.

So probably if whoever's blood sample this is took an iron supplement they would have a lot more energy and maybe also feel better in general.  Just sayin.

Send questions or comments to dudaday@gmail.com

Disclaimer:  I am not a health care provider, any information presented in this blog should not be considered advice it is mearly an outlet to slake my curiosity.  You should always consult your primary medical provider for any concerns or illness.  Unlike Tylenol, I am not approved by the FDA or American Medical Association to treat or provide relief for any ailment.