The purpose of red blood cells in the blood is to carry oxygen to body cells. The hemoglobin in red blood cells binds to oxygen received from the lungs, and these cells are circulated in the blood to all cells to supply needed oxygen.
Red blood cells (also called RBCs or erythrocytes ) carry oxygen from the lungs to the body's tissues and take carbon dioxide from the tissues back to the lungs. The red blood cells give blood its color. (Source: excerpt from What You Need To Know About Leukemia: NCI)
Red blood cells: Red blood cells carry oxygen around the body.
Condition count: 6 ; see list below.
Organ subtypes: erythrocyte
Organ types: Blood (59), Blood cells (14)
Number: about 5 million red blood cells in an adult
Related organs: blood vessels (57), white blood cells (5), artery (22), vein (7), hemoglobin, erythrocyte
Organs: list of all organs
The following list of medical conditions have 'Red blood cells' or similar listed as an affected body part in our database:
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