Final answer:
RBC disorders can arise from blood loss, disrupted production, or destruction of RBCs, leading to conditions like anemia or polycythemia. Anemias reduce oxygen delivery and may cause fatigue, while polycythemia, due to increased RBCs, raises blood viscosity and pressure.
Step-by-step explanation:
Clinical Correlations Associated with RBCs
Clinical conditions related to red blood cells (RBCs) can generally be categorized into three groups: those resulting from blood loss, faulty or decreased RBC production, and excessive destruction of RBCs. Clinicians diagnose these conditions using two primary approaches: the kinetic approach (examining the production, destruction, and removal of RBCs) and the morphological approach (analyzing size and shape of RBCs). Mean corpuscle volume (MCV) is a common test used to assess RBC size, indicating whether cells are normocytic, microcytic, or macrocytic. Another critical test is the reticulocyte count, which can reveal inadequate RBC production.
Anemias, characterized by reduced RBC counts or hemoglobin levels, lead to lower oxygen delivery throughout the body. This oxygen deficiency may result in fatigue, lethargy, and increased infection risk, impairing brain function and causing headaches and irritability. Conversely, an elevated RBC count indicates polycythemia, which may be due to dehydration, living at high altitudes, or health conditions such as polycythemia vera, a bone marrow disease leading to increased production of immature erythrocytes and potentially heightening blood viscosity, blood pressure, and cardiac workload.