Abnormally shaped RBCs Spiculated

Abnormally shaped RBCs

Spiculated – Acanthocytes (abetalipoproteinemia, post – splenectomy, fulminating liver disease); Burr cells (stomach cancer, GI bleeding, uremia); Bite cells (hemolysis due to drugs); RBC fragmentation (cytotoxic chemotherapy, autoimmune hemolytic anemia, deficiency anemias, acute leukemia, inherited structural abnormality of RBC membrane protein spectrin).

Abnormally shaped RBCs Elongated

Abnormally shaped RBCs

Elongated – Elliptocytes (hereditary, microcytic anemia); ovalocytes (megaloblastic anemia); teardrop cells (spent polycythemia. myelofibrosis. Thalassemia); Sickle cells (sickle cell disorders); HbC crystalloids (HbC trait or disease). Acute alcoholism); Target cells (HbC disease or trait, HbD, HbE, HbS, thalassemia, iron deficiency anemia, liver disease, post – splenectomy).

Abnormally shaped RBCs Round

Abnormally shaped RBCs

Round – Macrocytes (increased erythropoiesis); round macrocytes (liver disease, hypothyroidism, alcoholism); macro – ovalocytes (megaloblastic anemia, cancer chemotherapy, myelodysplastic syndromes); microcytes (hypochromic anemias), spherocytes (hereditary spherocytosis, recent blood transfusion); stomatocytes (hereditary stomatocytosis, acute alcoholism); target cells (HBC disease or trait, HbD, HbE, HbS, thalassemia, iron deficiency anemia, liver disease, post splenectomy).

Peripheral Blood Smear (PS)

Peripheral Blood Smear(PS) - RBCs

Indications

Peripheral smear is done for typing anemia, to confirm red blood cells (RBC) indices or indicate leukemia or other conditions,

RBC inclusions

Basophilic or polychromatophilic macrocytes ( < 15 in healthy persons, increased in erythropoiesis due to hemorrhage or hemolysis); microcytes with stippling (thalassemia, lead poisoning); Cabot's rings (severe hemolytic anemias, pernicious anemia [ PA]); Howell – Jolly bodies(megaloblastic anemia, thalassemia, hyposplenism, splenectomy); Pappenheimer bodies (Sideroblastic anemia, thalassemia, lead poisoning, pyridoxine unresponsive or responsive anemias); Heinz bodies (congenital G – 6 PD deficiency, drug induced hemolytic anemias); Plasmodium trophozoites(malaria); reticulocyte.