Know your medical terms: Plasma

Do you know what the word 'plasma' means? Here's a simple explanation.

Decoding the medical language used in books and on the internet can be a daunting task. Even doctors use so many medical terms and even abbreviations that it becomes difficult for the patient to understand what exactly is happening. In this section, we offer you the simplest explanation to all scary medical terms that you may come across in your life. Here are today's term plasma.

We all know that the blood contains red blood cells (RBCs), white blood cells (WBCs) and platelets. But what holds these cells together in a suspension? Yes, plasma is a pale yellowish fluid that holds the blood cells together. It makes up about 55% of the total content of the blood. Plasma acts like a medium for the transportation of proteins and certain nutrients throughout the body. It mainly consists of water but it also contains blood clotting proteins, hormones, dissolved nutrients and electrolytes.

One common term associated with plasma is serum. You must have come across this term in your blood reports or in some diagnostic tests. For example, serum creatinine levels for kidney function tests. Serum is a part of blood or plasma, to be more specific. Basically, it is blood plasma minus all the blood clotting factors. So it contains only electrolytes, proteins (antibodies) hormones.

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