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16 HEALTH AND LABORATORY MAGAZINE

INCREASED RED BLOOD CELL DESTRUCTION

IN SPACE TRAVELS CAUSES ANEMIA

On Earth, our bodies create and destroy 2 million red blood cells every second,
but astronauts are destroying 3 million red blood cells when they are onboard

the International Space Station.

In a new study, a team of more red blood cells are turning to Earth. mission, the worse the
scientists from the Ottawa destroyed, and this contin- “But when landing on Earth anemia, which could
Hospital Research Institute ues for the entire duration and potentially on other Interestingly, they repeated impact long missions
and the University of Otta- of the astronaut’s mission.” planets or moons, anemia the same measurements to the Moon and Mars;
wa found that astronauts affecting your energy, en- one year after astronauts ¸ Increased red blood
were destroying 54% more Before the new study, durance, and strength can returned to Earth, and cell production will re-
red blood cells during their space anemia was thought threaten mission objec- found that red blood cell quire an adapted diet
6-month missions onboard to be a quick adaptation tives.” destruction was still 30% for astronauts;
the International Space to fluids shifting into the as- above preflight levels. ¸ It’s unclear how long
Station, or 3 million every tronaut’s upper body when “The effects of anemia are These results suggest that the body can maintain
second. they first arrived in space. only felt once you land, structural changes may this higher rate of de-
Instead, the authors found and must deal with gravity have happened to the struction and produc-
“Space anemia has con- that the red blood cell again.” astronaut while they were tion of red blood cells.
sistently been reported destruction was a primary in space that changed red
when astronauts returned effect of being in space, not In the study, five out of 13 blood cell control for up to According to the scientists,
to Earth since the first just caused by fluid shifts. astronauts were clinically a year after long-duration their findings could also be
space missions, but we They demonstrated this anemic when they landed space missions. applied to life on Earth.
didn’t know why,” said by directly measuring red — one of the 14 astronauts The discovery has several “If we can find out exactly
Professor Guy Trudel, a blood cell destruction in 14 did not have blood drawn implications: what’s causing this anemia,
rehabilitation physician astronauts during their six- on landing. then there is a potential to
and researcher at the month space missions. ¸ It supports screening treat it or prevent it, both
Ottawa Hospital Research The researchers saw that astronauts or space for astronauts and for
Institute and the University “Thankfully, having fewer space-related anemia was tourists for existing patients here on Earth,”
of Ottawa. red blood cells in space reversible, with red blood blood or health condi- Professor Trudel said.
isn’t a problem when your cells levels progressively tions that are affected
“Our study shows that body is weightless,” Profes- returning to normal three by anemia;
upon arriving in space, sor Trudel said. to four months after re- ¸ The longer the space