Red Blood Cell Morphological Abnormalities

This is a video describing various morphological abnormalities found in red blood cells, including changes in red cell size, shape, color, and distribution. I created this presentation with Google Slides. Image were created or taken from Wikimedia Commons I created this video with the YouTube Video Editor. ADDITIONAL TAGS: Macrocytosis Large As measured with MCV altered DNA synthesis MCV, things that alter DNA synthesis , B12/folate deficiency Liver disease Thyroid disease Chemotherapy Anti-retrovirals (AZT) Microcytosis Small Measured with MCV iron deficiency, thalassemia, lead poisoning measured with MCV, Iron deficiency, Thalassemias, Lead poisoning, Sideroblastic anemia Anisocytosis Wide range of RBC sizes High red cell distribution width (RDW) Hypochromasia with too little hemoglobin Measured with mean corpuscular Hb (MCH) hypochromic cells, central cell diameter caused by lack of hemoglob (iron defiiciency, thalassemia, liver problems) Polychromasia that are shaded grayish blue often reticulocytes (immature ) Anisocytosis, large RDW Poikilocytosis that vary widely shape Analogous anisocytosis anisocytosis - vary size poikilocytosis - vary shape Target cells codocytes Related liver disease, thalassemias, hemoglob C, post-splenectomy Normal RBC cross section Target cell Anisocytosis, large RDW Spherocytes Spherical (instead of biconcave disk-shaped Appears on blood smear as loss of central pallor Hereditary spherocytosis Autoimmune hemolysis Normal RBC Spherocyte cross section cross section (biconcave disk) (more spherical) Ab attack membrane of RBC, if you pull out chunks of membrane, surface area of RBC membrane decreases Schistocytes fragments Sharp edges Can be caused by plaque on arterial walls that shear Also Microangiopathic Hemolytic Anemia (MAHA) Sickle cells fragments sickle cell anemia Hemoglob molecules with Point mutation that changes glutamic acid valine Polymerization of Hb at low pH, low pO2, high temperature Anisocytosis, large RDW Echinocytes burr cells Projections that are regular renal disease Acanthocytes spur cells Projections that are irregular large liver disease Teardrop cells dacrocytes Caused by infiltration of bone marrow (myelophthisic processes) Something body ( lymphocytes, scar tissue, cancer) enters grows bone marrow Linear aggregations or “stacks” of are high levels of immunoglobulins usually have similar surfaces charges that keep them from sticking together Immunoglobulins neutralize these charges, allow attract with charge-charge interactions a normal patient, you might see this on dense side of a blood smear, bc RBC conc is more concentrated Agglutination collect clumps Less orderly than rouleaux are coated with IgM, which bridge together cause aggregation Howell-Jolly Bodies Remnants of nucleic acids that found postsplenectomy Look like little purple dots