| Basophilic RBC stippling |
Denatured RNA |
accelerated erythropoiesis, defective Hb synthesis |
lead poisoning, megaloblastic anaemia, myelodysplasia, liver disease, haemoglobinopathy |
| Bite cells |
- |
Denatured Hb removed by splenic macrophages |
G6PD deficiency |
| Heinz bodies |
small round inclusions |
denatured Hb – oxidative stress |
G6PD deficiency, alpha-thalassaemia |
| Howell–Jolly bodies |
DNA nuclear remnants in RBCs |
Hyposplenism |
Anything causing hyposplenism: sickle-cell disease, coeliac disease, congenital, inflammatory bowel disease |
| Pappenheimer bodies |
Granules of Fe-containing siderocytes |
- |
Lead poisoning, post-splenectomy |
| Poikilocytosis |
variation in cell shape |
- |
teardrop: MF; pencil: Fe-deficiency |
| Reticulocytes |
young oversized RBCs |
active marrow ⇒ after haemorrhage, haemolysis, hypoxia, polycythaemia, recovery after chemo. Retics ↓ in marrow infiltration |
- |
| Rouleaux |
clumped RBCs |
circulating ESR |
Multiple myeloma, paraproteinaemia |
| Schistocytes |
Fragmented RBCs sliced by fibrin bands |
Intravascular haemolysis |
MAHA (DIC, TTP), HUS |
| Target cells |
Looks like a bulls-eye |
- |
Sickle cell disease, thalassaemia, Fe-deficiency, liver disease |
| Tear-drop RBCs |
- |
Bone marrow infiltration |
myelofibrosis, amyloid |
| hypersegmented neutrophils |
>= 1 neutrophil with >= 6 lobes |
|
Megaloblastic anaemia |