Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Describing space anemia with astronaut RBC indices — Space anemia is well-documented, but we don’t fully understand the cause. This study will analyze the red blood cell data of American and Canadian astronauts over the past 50 years in order to further characterize space anemia. The causes of anemia may be multiple and studying the complete blood profiles of astronauts provide a unique perspective to explain the increased red blood cell destruction in space. Astronauts, space tourists, and bedridden people on Earth remain at risk for anemia. This project will add to the growing body of research with the hopes of discovering effective ways to mitigate this risk.