An iron-containing protein in red blood cells that binds oxygen and helps transport it from the lungs to tissues throughout the body.
Hemoglobin is responsible for much of the oxygen-carrying capacity of blood. It also contributes to the transport of carbon dioxide and helps buffer acids in the blood.
Hemoglobin concentration is commonly measured as part of a complete blood count (CBC). A low hemoglobin concentration is a key feature of anemia, although anemia has many possible causes.
COMMONLY CONFUSED WITH
- Red blood cell: the cell that contains hemoglobin; hemoglobin is a protein inside the cell.
- Hematocrit: the proportion of blood volume occupied by red blood cells, not the amount of hemoglobin itself.
- Anemia: a condition involving inadequate oxygen-carrying capacity of blood, commonly associated with low hemoglobin.
SEE ALSO
- Anemia
- Red Blood Cell
- Blood
- Oxygen
