Peripheral blood film

Question 1

Poikilocytosis

Answer 1

Variation in cell shape

Question 2

Heinz bodies
Bite cells
Irregularly contracted cells
Hemi-ghosts

Answer 2

G6PD deficiency
ROS damage denatures Hb to form Heinz bodies
Bite cells from macrophages trying to remove Heinz bodies
Irregularly contracted cells no central pallor, dense + contracted
Hemi-ghosts are when Hb is all on 1 side

Question 3

Howell-Joly bodies

Answer 3

Hyposplenism

inclusion bodies usually removed by spleen

Question 4

Anisocytosis

Answer 4

Variation in cell size - IDA

Question 5

Cabot rings

Answer 5

Looped structures in RBCs

Megaloblastic anaemia

Question 6

Target cells

Answer 6

Thalassaemia
Asplenia
Liver disease

Question 7

Pappenheimer bodies

Answer 7

Granules of iron within RBCs

Lead poisoning, sideroblastic anaemia, HA

Question 8

Pencil cells

Answer 8

IDA

Question 9

Kinocytic cells

Answer 9

Pyruvate kinase deficiency
(Little projections forming when cells shrink - PK deficiency results in an inability to produce ATP, cannot maintain cell electrolyte balance so water leaves cell and lysis occurs)

Question 10

Osmotic fragility test

Answer 10

Hereditary spherocytosis