Anatomy

Blood

The body fluid that circulates in the vascular system (BLOOD VESSELS). Whole blood includes PLASMA and BLOOD CELLS.

National Library of MedicineMedical Subject Headings2026

Structured Summary

Abstract

The body fluid that circulates in the vascular system (BLOOD VESSELS). Whole blood includes PLASMA and BLOOD CELLS.

MeSH Record

Classification

Broader headings

Narrower headings

MeSH Qualifier

Used as a Subheading

Blood is also a MeSH subheading (qualifier Q000097), attached to other headings to focus them on this aspect:

Used for the presence or analysis of substances in the blood; also for examination of, or changes in, the blood in disease states. It excludes serodiagnosis, for which the subheading diagnosis is used, and serology, for which immunology is used.

Qualifier ID
Q000097
Qualifier Tree
Y01.010, Y08.040.020

Indexing annotation

subhead only; for "in blood" or "blood in" animals or diseases; includes the presence of cells, coagulating elements, endogenous & exogenous chemical substances; not for "serology" ( = /immunology), nor for "serodiagnosis" ( = /diagnosis), nor for the presence of microbes or parasites in the blood in disease ( = /microbiology or /parasitology); see MeSH scope note in Introduction; indexing policy: Manual 19.8.10; DF: /blood or /BL

Qualifier graph

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Related Concepts

Knowledge Graph

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MeSH Record

See Also

MeSH Record

Aspects Covered

8 allowable subheadings

Indexed with the subheadings diagnostic imaging, drug effects, immunology, metabolism, microbiology, parasitology, radiation effects, virology.

MeSH Record

Indexing Annotation

general only as a substance: prefer / blood with higher animals, substances & diseases: Manual 19.7+, 19.8.10; not for hemodynamics: Manual 23.28, 23.29; reinfusion = BLOOD TRANSFUSION, AUTOLOGOUS; venous blood: coordinate BLOOD + VEINS or specific vein but do not index here for routine blood samples; arterial blood: coordinate BLOOD + ARTERIES or specific artery but only if the arterial aspect is significant; "blood picture" = probably BLOOD CELLS or BLOOD CELL COUNT; "blood clot": physiol clot or clotting = BLOOD COAGULATION, pathologic clot or clotting = THROMBOSIS or EMBOLISM

MeSH Hierarchy

Tree Numbers

  1. A12.207w.152w
  2. A15.145w

AMA Style

References

  1. National Library of Medicine. Blood. Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). 2026. Unique ID D001769. http://id.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/2026/D001769
  2. Blood. In: Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood
  3. Blood. In: Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7873