The name of hemoglobin is derived from the Greek words for blood and sphere. Thus, hemoglobin is a spherical component of human blood.
What is hemoglobin?
Hemoglobin, as a component of human blood, is found in red blood cells (called erythrocytes) and is also known as red blood pigment. Hemoglobin owes this title to the fact that it is responsible for the red coloration of the blood. There are approximately 280 million molecules of the red blood pigment in a single red blood cell. A corresponding molecule of hemoglobin is composed of both proteins and pigment, which in medicine is also called heme. During its development, the human organism has different forms of hemoglobin – while the hemoglobin of unborn children in the womb is called embryonic or fetal red blood pigment, the blood of a healthy adult contains so-called adult hemoglobin. Embryonic or fetal hemoglobin is characterized primarily by a comparatively higher capacity for oxygen uptake.
Medical and health functions, roles, and meanings.
Among other functions, hemoglobin contains oxygen-transporting proteins that take up oxygen from the air we breathe and carry it to various destinations within the body. Hemoglobin binds the corresponding oxygen with the help of iron, which is present in the red blood pigment. In addition, hemoglobin transports carbon dioxide – with the help of the red blood pigment, carbon dioxide is transported from the tissues to the lungs, from where it can finally be exhaled. Blood flow and blood pressure are also influenced by hemoglobin; for example, hemoglobin is able to cause blood vessels to dilate by releasing chemical compounds. In a next step, this blood vessel dilation can manifest itself in a decrease in blood pressure or increased blood flow. In medicine, hemoglobin is used for diagnostic purposes, among other things – for example, laboratory testing of a patient’s hemoglobin can provide indications of any disorders/diseases that may be present. In this context, the hemoglobin level of a man is on average higher than that of a woman.
Diseases, ailments, and disorders
Diseases or disorders that can be determined with the help of the examination of hemoglobin include, for example, anemia (anemia, which is accompanied, for example, by weakness, fatigue and / or dizziness), impairments of the intact water balance or the so-called polyglobulia – unlike anemia (the hemoglobin values are too low in the affected person), polyglobulia is characterized by an excess of red blood cells. However, a low hemoglobin level is not always due to anemia; acute blood loss (for example, as a result of severe injury or surgery), hyperhydration affecting the organism, hematopoiesis disorders, and kidney and/or intestinal diseases also often result in a falling level of hemoglobin. If the hemoglobin level in affected persons is too high, this may be the result of very heavy smoking or prolonged exposure to high altitudes, for example. Patients with various lung diseases or a disease known as polycythemia rubra vera also usually have elevated hemoglobin levels. The intact functioning of hemoglobin can be impaired, among other things, by iron deficiency – since iron is needed to produce the dye contained in hemoglobin, the dye concentration is lower as a result. Furthermore, without sufficient iron, the organism is also unable to produce hemoglobin. If it is not possible to compensate for a corresponding iron deficiency to a sufficient extent via the diet, the use of iron preparations prescribed by physicians may be medically necessary. Various genetic defects can also impair the production of hemoglobin dye (also known as heme synthesis) – if this results in an accumulation of precursors of the blood pigment, affected individuals may experience excessive sensitivity to light, abdominal pain or neurological complaints. Malaria pathogens attack molecules of hemoglobin and cleave off its proteins.Corresponding proteins then serve to metabolize the pathogens.
