RBC vs Hemoglobin

Many people have a hard time differentiating RBC and hemoglobin. The differences between RBC or red blood cells and hemoglobin are not that big. Before you learn about the differences, it would be better to learn first the definitions of RBC and hemoglobin. Red blood cells are a very essential part of our blood and as a matter of fact, they are the most plentiful type of blood cells in our body. Hemoglobin or Hgb is a protein that is found inside a red blood cell and is responsible for carrying the oxygen coming from the lungs to the different parts of the body. So basically, red blood cells and hemoglobin are somewhat connected with each other, but are not exactly the same.

How do RBC and Hemoglobin function?

The red blood cells are doughnut-like shapes with an indent instead of a hole. Unlike other cells in the body, RBC doesn’t have a nucleus for the purpose of greater storage. The main function of RBC is to transport the oxygen by hemoglobin, which is located inside it, to the different parts of the body. Once the oxygen is delivered to the parts of the body, the RBC collects carbon dioxide and takes it to the lungs. Hemoglobin’s key function is the facilitation of gases, oxygen and carbon dioxide as the transportation is happening. So typically, the hemoglobin holds the gases while the RBC is carrying the hemoglobin and transporting it to the different tissues in the body.

When and how do they differ?

Since it is already clear that red blood cells and hemoglobin work hand in hand to distribute oxygen to the tissues of the body, the question now is, how do they differ? They only differ on their counts. So, if you have an average hemoglobin count, you can also have a normal RBC count. But if you have low hemoglobin count, that could make your RBC count either normal or abnormal. But of course, these two counts are different. A low count in RBC may indicate hemorrhage or bleeding, failure in the bone marrow or a tumor, or anemia. The low count for hemoglobin may result to the enlargement of spleen, vasculitis or inflammation of the blood vessels, or thalassemia, which is caused by faulty synthesis of hemoglobin.

Not To Get Confused

The tip for not getting confused with RBC and hemoglobin is that you should always bear in your mind that hemoglobin is just a component of RBC. RBC has many components and the major one is the hemoglobin. The next time you encounter these two terms, always remember that these two things cooperate with each other in transporting the oxygen from the lungs to the other tissues in the body, and after transporting the oxygen, they gather carbon dioxide back to the lungs. Try to compare it to this situation: say there is a delivery pizza boy with a motorcycle. The motorcycle serves as the RBC, the pizza boy will be the hemoglobin, and the pizza itself is the oxygen.

Summary:

1. Red blood cells are a very essential part of our blood, and as a matter of fact it is the most plentiful type of blood cells in our body. Hemoglobin (or Hgb) is a protein that is found inside a red blood cell and is responsible for carrying the oxygen coming from the lungs to the different parts of the body.

2. The tip for not getting confused with RBC and hemoglobin is that you should always bear in mind that hemoglobin is just a component of RBC. RBC has many components and the major one is the hemoglobin.

Sharing is caring!