By Julie Campbell, MD
Human blood is made up of red blood cells, white blood cells, and plasma. Each of these components plays important, specific roles. The primary role of red blood cells is to deliver nutrients and oxygen throughout the body. Anemia is a condition that occurs when there is a decrease in the number of circulating red blood cells and it is the most common hematologic problem internal medicine specialists and family physicians encounter. Because sufficient, healthy red blood cells are so crucial to our wellbeing, it is important to detect and treat the underlying cause of anemia when it occurs.