Anemia is defined as what?

Anemia is defined as what?

• A. A decrease in the number of red blood cells.
• B. An increase in white blood cells.
• C. A deficiency of platelets.
• D. Chronic dehydration.

Answer: (A)

Anemia means the blood’s oxygen-carrying capacity is reduced due to fewer circulating red blood cells or less hemoglobin. In practice, this shows up as a low red blood cell count, a decreased hematocrit (packed cell volume), or low hemoglobin compared with normal values for the species. Since red blood cells carry oxygen, anemia often causes weakness and pale mucous membranes. The other options describe different problems: an increase in white blood cells is a leukocytosis, not anemia; a deficiency of platelets is thrombocytopenia; chronic dehydration can alter plasma volume and hematocrit but is not anemia itself.

Anemia means the blood’s oxygen-carrying capacity is reduced due to fewer circulating red blood cells or less hemoglobin. In practice, this shows up as a low red blood cell count, a decreased hematocrit (packed cell volume), or low hemoglobin compared with normal values for the species. Since red blood cells carry oxygen, anemia often causes weakness and pale mucous membranes. The other options describe different problems: an increase in white blood cells is a leukocytosis, not anemia; a deficiency of platelets is thrombocytopenia; chronic dehydration can alter plasma volume and hematocrit but is not anemia itself.