Anemia is defined as

Anemia is defined as

• A. Excess red blood cells
• B. A deficiency of red blood cells or a reduction in the amount of hemoglobin they contain
• C. Low white blood cell count
• D. Increased platelets

Answer: (B)

Anemia means the blood’s ability to carry oxygen is reduced because there are too few red blood cells or the red blood cells contain not enough hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the protein in red blood cells that binds oxygen in the lungs and delivers it to tissues throughout the body; when its amount is low or there aren’t enough red blood cells, oxygen delivery is impaired, leading to symptoms like fatigue, pallor, and shortness of breath. The other options describe different blood abnormalities—too many red cells would be polycythemia, a low white blood cell count is leukopenia, and increased platelets is thrombocytosis—none of which define anemia.

Anemia means the blood’s ability to carry oxygen is reduced because there are too few red blood cells or the red blood cells contain not enough hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the protein in red blood cells that binds oxygen in the lungs and delivers it to tissues throughout the body; when its amount is low or there aren’t enough red blood cells, oxygen delivery is impaired, leading to symptoms like fatigue, pallor, and shortness of breath. The other options describe different blood abnormalities—too many red cells would be polycythemia, a low white blood cell count is leukopenia, and increased platelets is thrombocytosis—none of which define anemia.