Is low red blood cell count harmful?

Low red blood cell count is a common disease, which is mainly caused by decreased red blood cell production, excessive red blood cell destruction, various acute and chronic blood loss and other causes, which to a certain extent brings many adverse effects to patients. Therefore, red blood cells are the carriers of human respiration. Once their levels are low, breathing will become short, immune function will decline, and more diseases will follow.

1. Causes of low red blood cell count

1. Decreased red blood cell production: various chronic diseases such as aplastic anemia, leukemia, myeloma, myelofibrosis, etc., which lead to long-term consumption of the body, such as malignant tumors, uremia, liver disease, rheumatism, endocrine diseases, etc.; diseases caused by lack of hematopoietic substances or utilization disorders, such as iron deficiency anemia, sideroblastic anemia, megaloblastic anemia caused by folic acid or vitamin B12 deficiency.

2. A decrease in the number of red blood cells due to excessive destruction of red blood cells is common in hemolytic anemia, thalassemia, abnormal hemoglobin disease, paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, immune hemolytic anemia, mechanical hemolytic anemia, etc.

3. Various acute and chronic blood loss, such as massive bleeding from trauma, massive bleeding from surgery, massive bleeding after childbirth, acute gastrointestinal bleeding, chronic blood loss caused by ulcers, and other chronic blood loss factors can lead to a decrease in the number of red blood cells.

2. The role of red blood cells

Its main physiological function is to act as a respiratory carrier, carrying and releasing oxygen to tissues throughout the body, while transporting carbon dioxide, and synergistically regulating to maintain acid-base balance and immune adhesion. Immune adhesion can enhance the phagocytic effect of phagocytic leukocytes on microorganisms, eliminate the effects of antigen-antibody complexes, and prevent the complexes from forming potentially harmful precipitates in susceptible areas.

3. Examination of red blood cells

Iron deficiency anemia is a common nutritional deficiency disease in children, which is more common in infants and young children aged 6 months to 3 years. Symptoms may include irritability, poor spirits, inactivity, fatigue, loss of appetite, pale lips, conjunctiva, nail beds and palms, etc. Immune macrophage proliferative disorders represent a group of etiologically diverse illnesses characterized by fever, hepatosplenomegaly, and pancytopenia. Blood examination can show low hemoglobin and red blood cell values, and biochemical tests such as serum ferritin and serum iron can confirm the diagnosis.