What is anaemia?

• A. A reduction in white blood cells
• B. A reduction in haemoglobin in the blood
• C. Increased plasma volume
• D. Increased haemoglobin concentration

Answer: (B)

Anaemia is a condition where the blood’s capacity to carry oxygen is reduced, usually because there is less haemoglobin or fewer red blood cells. Haemoglobin is the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells, so when its amount falls, tissues don’t get enough oxygen.

That’s why the correct choice is a reduction in haemoglobin in the blood. The other options point to different blood changes: a drop in white blood cells is a leukopenia, not anaemia; an increase in plasma volume isn’t the defining feature of anaemia; and a higher haemoglobin concentration would increase, not decrease, oxygen-carrying capacity.