Spherocyte

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Blood/Blood Cells and Cellular Components ›› Red Blood Cells ›› Abnormal

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›Microscopic Features:

Usually smaller than a normal RBC
MCV may be normal or slightly decreased
Very Round
No central pallor

›Normal % blood-PB, marrow-BM, lymphoid tissue-LN:

PB: Rare to None
BM: Rare to None
LN: Rare to None

›May Resemble:

Microcytic RBC
Polychromatophilic RBC
Macrocytic RBC
Normal Mature RBC

›Differential Diagnoses:

Increased in:
Hereditary spherocytosis
Autoimmune hemolytic anemia
Burn patients
Artifact

›Classic Immunophenotype:

›Cartoon Image:

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for direct comparison

›Misc:

Similar to Hereditary Stomatocytosis and Hereditary Elliptocytosis, Hereditary Spherocytosis (HS) is also due to an underlying RBC membrane defect (The membrane defect in HS is in many instances due to spectrin, ankyrin, band 3 protein, or protein 4.1).

The MCHC value is usually increased in patients with HS