Anisocytosis

Microcytosis is a term used to describe red blood cells that are smaller than normal. Anemia is when you have low numbers of properly functioning red blood cells in your body. In microcytic anemias, your body has fewer red blood cells than normal. The red blood cells it does have are also too small. Several different types of anemias can be described as microcytic. Microcytic anemias are caused by conditions that prevent your body from producing enough hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is a component of your blood. It helps transport oxygen to your tissues and gives your red blood cells their red color. Iron deficiency causes most microcytic anemias. Your body needs iron to produce hemoglobin. But other conditions can cause microcytic anemias, too. To treat a microcytic anemia, your doctor will first diagnose the underlying cause. You may not notice any symptoms of microcytic anemia at first. Symptoms often appear at an advanced stage when the lack of normal red blood cells is affecting your tissues. Common symptoms of microcytic anemias include: • fatigue, weakness, and tiredness • loss of stamina • shortness of breath • dizziness • pale skin If you experience any of these symptoms and they don’t resolve within two weeks, make an appointment to see your doctor. You should make an appointment to see your doctor as soon as possible if you experience severe dizziness or shortness of breath. Microcytic anemias can be further described according to the amount of hemoglobin in the red blo...

Overview What is poikilocytosis? Poikilocytosis (pronounced “poy-kuh-low-sai-TOW-suhs”) is a term healthcare providers use to describe abnormally shaped Your red blood cells carry oxygen to tissues and organs throughout your body. Think of oxygen as the energy supply your body’s cells need to function. Normal red blood cells are about the same size and shape. They’re round with an indentation in the center, like a disk. Red blood cells of abnormal sizes ( Abnormal red blood cell shapes (poikilocytes) Providers categorize abnormal red blood cell shapes based on their features. With poikilocytosis, you may have one or more of the following abnormal cells, or poikilocytes: • Acanthocytes (spur cells): Cells with spikes of different lengths and widths jutting outside the cell membrane. • Codocytes (target cells): Cells with a dark center in the middle, resembling a bullseye. • Dacrocytes (teardrop cells): Cells that narrow or come to a point at one side, like a teardrop. • Drepanocytes (sickle cells): Curved and thin cells that resemble a sickle or crescent. • Echinocytes: Cells covered in evenly spaced thorny projections, like a sea urchin. • Elliptocytes (ovalocytes or cigar cells): Oval and abnormally long cells, with shapes ranging from an egg to a cigar. • Schistocytes: Red cell fragments that are usually jagged but may be any shape. • Spherocytes: Spherical cells that resemble a ball or a globe. Symptoms and Causes What are the symptoms of poikilocytosis? Symptoms depend...

Anisocytosis is a medical condition where the sizes of different erythrocytes/red blood cells are unequal. • “Aniso” refers to unequal, and “cytosis” refers to the movement or number of cells. • Anisocytosis refers to excessive red blood cell size variation which can be quantitatively determined by interpreting peripheral blood films and automated assessment of red blood cell size distribution. • The red cell distribution width (RDW) represents a quantitative measure of anisocytosis. • RDW is a measure of the variability of erythrocyte volume, and it is routinely performed by automated cell counters as part of the red blood cell count. • It is calculated as a coefficient of variation of the distribution of RBC volumes divided by the mean corpuscular volume (MCV). • Anisocytosis is not a condition on its own but is associated with another condition like iron-deficiency anemia and/or other blood-related disorders. Figure: Human red blood cells from the case of anisocytosis. Image Source: Types of Anisocytosis Based on the size of the erythrocytes and the cause of anisocytosis, three types of anisocytosis can be observed: a. Anisocytosis with macrocytosis • When the size of the erythrocytes is larger than usual, this condition is called anisocytosis with macrocytosis. • Anisocytosis with macrocytosis is observed in conditions like megaloblastic anemia (Vitamin B12/Folate deficiency), myelodysplasia, liver disease. • It is also associated with the consumption of antimetabolite...