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22nd May 2023
Poikilocytosis
| Poikilocytosis | Morphology | Appearance on blood film | Associations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teardrop cells | Teardrop shaped | 
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons (2009). Teardrop Cells smear, Licensed under a creative commons licence. Available for free at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Teardrop_Cells_smear_2009-09-22.JPG (Accessed on: 10 January 2023) |
Myelofibrosis Thalassaemia |
| Sickle cells | Sickle shaped | 
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons (2012). Sickle cells, Licensed under a creative commons licence. Available for free at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sickle_cells.jpg (Accessed on: 10 January 2023). |
Sickle cell diseases |
| Helmet cells (schistocytes) | Fragmented | 
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons (2013). Blood smear with typical schistocytes in TTP marked in blue, Licensed under a creative commons licence. Available for free at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blood_smear_with_typical_schistocytes_in_TTP_marked_in_blue_1.tif (Accessed on: 10 January 2023). |
Microangiopathic haemolytic anaemia (e.g. DIC, TTP, HUS)
Mechanical damage (e.g. metallic heart valves) |
| Pencil cells | Pencil shaped, hypochromic and microcytic. A variant of elliptocyte associated with iron deficiency. | 
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons (2006). Elliptocytosis, Licensed under a creative commons licence. Available for free at: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Elliptocytosis.jpg (Accessed on: 10 January 2023). |
Iron deficiency anaemia |
| Elliptocytes | Oval, elongated. | 
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons (2015). Hereditary Elliptocytosis in a 70-year-old man, Licensed under a creative commons licence. Available for free at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hereditary_Elliptocytosis_in_a_70-year-old_man.tif (Accessed on: 10 January 2023). |
Hereditary elliptocytosis Iron deficiency Thalassaemia Myelofibrosis |
| Spherocytes | Sphere shaped | 
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons (2010). Hereditary Spherocytosis smear, Licensed under a creative commons licence. Available for free at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hereditary_Spherocytosis_smear_2010-03-17.JPG (Accessed on: 10 January 2023). |
Hereditary spherocytosis Autoimmune haemolytic anaemia. |
| Target cells | Bullseye | 
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons (2012). Target cells and spherocytes, Licensed under a creative commons licence. Available for free at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Target_cells_and_spherocytes.jpg (Accessed on: 10 January 2023). |
Thalassaemia Haemoglobin C and S Liver disease Post-splenectomy Iron deficiency |
| Burr cells (echinocytes) | Smooth cytoplasmic projections | 
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons (2016). Echinocytes-12, Licensed under a creative commons licence. Available for free at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Echinocytes-12.JPG (Accessed on: 10 January 2023). |
Liver disease Uraemia Pyruvate kinase deficiency |
| Bite cells | Bite marks | 
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons (2020). Bite Cells, Licensed under a creative commons licence. Available for free at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BITE_CELLS.jpg (Accessed on: 10 January 2023). |
G6PD deficiency |
Some conditions result in erythrocytes with inclusion bodies.
| Inclusion bodies | Contents | Associations |
|---|---|---|
| Heinz bodies | Denatured haemoglobin | G6PD deficiency Thalassaemia |
| Howell-Jolly bodies | DNA | Hyposplenism |
| Basophilic stippling | RNA | Lead toxicity Sideroblastic anaemia Thalassaemia |
| Ringed sideroblasts | Iron | Sideroblastic anaemia |
| Pappenheimer bodies | Iron | Sideroblastic anaemia Haemolytic anaemia Hyposplenism |
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