Question

Rahul is suffering from fever. Which of the following cells will increase in number?
(A) RBC
(B) WBC
(C) Platelets
(D) None of the above

Answer 1

Hint: A cellular portion of the blood protects the body from infection and disease. It protects the body by ingesting foreign material and cellular debris. It also kills the contagious disease causing substances and cancer cells. Due to certain changes in the body during any kind of infection, it causes an increase in the normal temperature of the body.

Complete answer:
Blood is an important body fluid which is involved in a number of actions such as carrying of gases, transportation of metabolic materials to different parts of the body and protecting the body against any foreign invasion and infections. The blood consists of different types of cells which are known as corpuscles and a red colored fluid known as the hemoglobin.

The blood contains red blood cells which are also referred to as erythrocytes. They are important cellular blood elements which impart the characteristic color in the circulation of vertebrates and help to convey oxygen from the lungs to the tissues. The mature red cells of the human red blood are small, round and biconcave. The key function of RBCs is that it uses oxygen as a source of electrons and ATP synthesis in mitochondria as it transports oxygen from the lungs to the tissues.

The white blood cells, or leukocytes, are mainly responsible for preventing infection. A high number of white blood cells typically demonstrates an increased white blood cell production to prevent an infection. If a person has fever, he might have an infection in his body which causes fever. In this case, the count of white blood cells increases to combat and decrease the infection. In due course, the different conditions may elevate the temperature of the body resulting in fever.

Platelets are tiny blood cells that help to stop the bleeding in the body. Damaged blood vessels send signals to platelets. Then the platelets hurry to the damage site. To fix the damage, they are forming a plug (clot).

Hence, The correct answer is option (B).

Note: A high number of white blood cells may mean that an infection is being counteracted by the immune system. It may be a sign of physical or emotional discomfort as well. The White blood cells are the important cells of the immune system and it is involved in the protection of the body against both infection causing diseases and other foreign attacks such as pathogenic microorganisms.