Difference Between Rbc And Wbc

The blood consists of essential components with important and well-defined functions. These components include the RBC (Red Blood Corpuscles) and WBC (or White Blood Corpuscles). Let us understand the key difference between RBC and WBC.

RBCs consist of protein known as hemoglobin. It is also known as erythrocytes. The hemoglobin absorbs the oxygen from the lungs, this results in helping the blood to get its color. This oxygen absorbed by the hemoglobin is released in the tissues when the blood travels through the body. The RBCs look like the flat indented discs. The life cycle of the RBCs is of 4 months.

WBCs are known to handle more complex functions in the human body. It is also known as leukocytes. The main function of WBCs is to defend and fight with the infections in the human body. WBCs also produce a special protein known as the antibody. The main function of this protein is to recognize the presence of foreign elements in the body and fight them. There are different types of WBCs with different life cycles and well-defined functions.

Difference Between Rbc And Wbc

 

Character	Rbc	Wbc
Definition	Red blood cells (RBC) are also known as Erythrocytes. They are bi-concave disc-shaped, anucleated. The size is roughly 6-8 micron.	White blood cells (WBC) also known as Leukocytes. They are irregular in shape, nucleated. The size is 15 micron.
Number	5 million RBC is present in every cubic mm of blood.	3000-7000 WBC is present in every cubic mm of blood.
Types	RBC consist of only one type.	WBC consist of various types; Neutrophils, T-lymphocytes, B-lymphocytes (plasma cell), monocytes (macrophages), eosinophils, basophils.
Production	It is produced in red bone marrow. 2 million RBC per second.	It is produced in the lymph node, spleen, etc. They are comparatively less in numbers than RBC.
Formation	Erythropoiesis is the term used for the RBC formation.	WBC requires 1% of the total blood in the body.
Motility	They are non-motile.	They are motile.
Life span	RBC live for only 4 months.	WBC lives for several days to years in a healthy body.
Hemoglobin	RBCs is rich in hemoglobin due to which they are red.	Due to the absence of hemoglobin, WBC appears to be colorless.
Components	It consists of hemoglobin only.	It consists of antibodies with MHC antigen cell markers.
Circulatory System	Cardiovascular system.	Lymphatic and Cardiovascular system.
Functions	The function is to carries oxygen and carbon dioxide and other waste products. But the primary function is to transfer oxygen.	The main function is to defend the body from the germs attack, so WBC works in producing antibodies to develop immunity against infection, and some may be phagocytic also.
Ill effects	The very low count will result in anemia. This reduces the body’s ability to supply oxygen to tissues. The number of WBC increases at high altitudes and during exercises.	Very low count result in leukopenia. This can compromise the immune system. A high count of WBC results in infecting the body.

RBC (Red Blood Corpuscles)

Red blood cells (RBC) also known as erythrocytes. The main function of RBC is to carry oxygen to the different parts of the body through the blood cells. RBC also consists of hemoglobin.

Due to the presence of hemoglobin iron-rich protein, it provides red color to the blood. This protein binds with oxygen and is red. The shape of RBC is round, small, and biconcave in a mature human. It is flexible enough to take a bell-like shape when it passes through the small vessels.

RBC is covered by a membrane created by proteins and lipids. They do not consist of any nucleus. The cells are not capable to provide maximum space for the hemoglobin as they lack other organelles too.

RBC grows inside the bones (bone marrow). In an adult human, the RBC is produced at a rate of 2.4 million in just one second. The life cycle of the RBC is of 4 months in the body. After that, the recycling of their components is carried out in the process of macrophages. Red blood cells enclose approximately 36%-50% of the total blood of the body.

Function

The main function of RBC is to carry oxygen from the lungs to the tissues of the body. This process is carried out along with the blood flow through the circulatory system. It is also responsible to carry carbon dioxide and other waste products to the lungs, from where they are excreted.

The deficiency of iron or vitamins in the diet increases the problems related to the RBC. To check the number of RBC in blood, a person suffering from a lack of RBC undergoes an erythrocyte count test.

If the counting of RBC gets decline it results in various illnesses or diseases related to anemia. In such cases, the RBC get decline and due to which the supply of oxygen is also insufficient throughout the body. This also changes the shape of the RBC and makes it irregular. The different types of anemia include normocytic anemia, sickle-cell anemia, iron-deficiency anemia, hemolytic anemia, and fan-conic anemia.

Tiredness, feeling cold, joint pain, irregular heartbeats, pale skin, are the common symptoms of anemia deficiency. The nutrition should consist of iron and vitamins to maintain the health and the good counts of RBC in the blood. So the food like green vegetables, nuts, bananas, orange, mango, seeds, avocado, eggs, whole grains, etc. should be taken in a higher amount.

RBC Count

RBC count is the number of red blood cells present in a volume of blood. A liter of blood consists of normally between 4.2×1012 and 6.9×1012 red blood cells in an adult human male. It is also known as an erythrocyte count.

WBC (White Blood Corpuscles)

White blood cells (WBC) play an important role in fighting any infectious agent and protecting the body. It is also known as leucocytes or leukocytes. Due to the lack of hemoglobin, the WBC is colorless pigment. WBC are found in the tissues and sometimes in the circulation also.

Function

The cells contain a nucleus, which is absent in RBC. These cells are motile. The main function is to protect the body by digesting foreign materials. It also helps in destroying the cancer cells, infecting agents. These functions are carried out by producing antibodies.

Leukocytosis occurs when the number of WBC increases while leukopenia results in a decrease in the number of WBC. This can be observed under the light microscope. WBC is classified as lymphocytes, granulocytes, and monocytes. They differ in the functions too. Lymphocytes are further categorized into B cells and T cells.

If the counting of WBC changes it results in various illnesses or diseases. When there is less response of the bone marrow in the production of WBC or when any infecting agent destroys the cells, this results in the decrease in the count of WBC. This decrease in the count of the WBC, result in a decline of health. Thus, the person gets susceptible to any infection or illness.

Diseases which occur due to the low or high count of WBC include infections, weak immune system, myeloproliferative disorder, cancer, myelodysplastic syndrome, medicines.

WBC Count

WBC count is the number of white blood cells present in the volume of blood. A liter of blood consists of normally between 4×109 and 1.1×1010 white blood cells, which helps in making around 1% of blood in a healthy adult. It is also known as leukocyte count and may be indicated as 4,000 to 11,000 cells per cubic millimeter.