how blood cells are made...
Understanding a bit about how blood cells are made in the body can be really helpful in understanding leukaemia and its treatment. This is because leukaemia is a cancer of the white blood cells.
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All blood cells are made in the bone marrow, a spongy material inside our bones which is like a blood cell factory. There are three main types of blood cells:
- White cells - help us fight infection.
- Red blood cells - carry oxygen from the lungs around our body.
- Platelets - stop us bleeding when we cut ourselves by clotting our blood.
All of these cells develop from one type of cell called a stem cell. This stem cell is a very early, unspecialised cell which has the ability to grow into the different types of cells as we need them. As they grow, they go through various stages of development, gradually becoming a more specialised cell which has a specific role or job. This means that we are constantly making the different red cells, white cells and platelets ready to be used.
Early on in this process of specialisation, they divide into two main groups or lines:
- Myeloid - in this group, the cells can develop into red cells, platelets and some of the white cells (granulocytes, monocytes, eosinophils and basophils).
- Lymphoid - in this group, the cells can develop into lymphocytes, which make up our immune system.
white blood cells
We have a number of different types of white blood cells which work in different ways to protect us from diseases and infections.
In the lymphoid line there are:
- T-lymphocytes that control immunity and kill viruses.
- B-lymphocytes that make antibodies which mean the body will remember an infection and can get rid of it.
Lymphocytes are found in the blood and the lymphatic system. This system is made up of a number of nodes or glands connected by tiny vessels which run throughout the body. There is also lymph tissue in the liver, spleen and along the gut and lung.
In the myeloid line, there are:
- neutrophils that fight infection, kill bacteria and get rid of damaged tissue.
- monocytes that work with the lymphocytes and are needed to make antibodies.
