Concept explainers
To discuss:
Blood viscosity and osmolarity, factors that give blood its viscosity and osmolarity, and the negative effects of changes in viscosity or osmolarity.
Introduction:
Blood viscosity and blood osmolarity are two physical properties of blood that determine its functions. Viscosity is the resistance offered by a system to the flow of fluid, and this arises mainly due to friction between the particles of the fluid. The main contributors to blood viscosity is the presence of RBCs and the plasma proteins.
The osmolarity of the blood is the molarity of dissolved particles that are retained within the blood vessel walls and which are unable to exit through vessel walls. The main contributors to blood osmolarity are electrolytes, especially sodium ions, the protein content, and the RBCs.
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