Red blood cells are the cells in the blood that are responsible for carrying oxygen to the various organs. The red blood cells carry oxygen by attaching to the hemoglobin molecules. If there is any significant reduction in the blood hemoglobin level, the condition is clinically known as anaemia. A useful approach to anaemia is to understand the normal red cell life span.
Production of red cells begins in the bone marrow with the mother red cells undergoing a maturation process. After the red cells have completed this process, they will be released into the bloodstream. These circulating red cells will remain in the blood for about 120 days before they are destroyed (predominantly in the spleen). Therefore, anaemia could effectively be a problem of production or a loss/destruction.
