Final answer:
The number of circulating RBCs is crucial for health, with too few causing anemia and too many leading to polycythemia, both impacting oxygen delivery to tissues. Anemia is divided into groups by cause: blood loss, production issues, or RBC destruction. Polycythemia vera, a type of elevated RBC count, requires medical management due to increased blood viscosity.
Step-by-step explanation:
The number of circulating red blood cells (RBCs) significantly affects an individual's health. A decrease in RBC count or hemoglobin levels leads to a condition known as anemia, with symptoms including fatigue, lethargy, and increased susceptibility to infection due to lower levels of oxygen reaching bodily tissues. On the other hand, an increase in RBCs can lead to polycythemia, which can raise blood viscosity, increasing the workload on the heart and the risk of hypertension. Various tests like mean corpuscle volume (MCV) and reticulocyte count help diagnose the type of anemia by examining RBC production, destruction, size, and shape.
Anemias can be divided into three major groups based on their cause: blood loss, faulty or decreased RBC production, and excessive RBC destruction. Treatment and management of anemia depend on the underlying cause and can include dietary supplements, treatment of the underlying disease, and sometimes transfusion of red blood cells. However, conditions like polycythemia vera, a bone marrow disease, require medical intervention to manage the excessive production of immature erythrocytes.