Red Blood Cells Flashcards
RBC Maturation Series
Pronormoblast/Rubriblast Basophilic Normoblast/Prorubricye Polychromatophilic Normoblast/Rubricyte Orthochromic Normoblast/Metarubricyte Polychromatophilic Erythrocyte/Reticulocyte Erythrocyte
Poikilocytosis
General variation in shape of the RBC
Acanthocytes
Spur cells
Have a few projections on their membrane (wavy to spiky edges)
Codocytes
Target cells
Have ring of pallor in them
Hemoglobin Pudding
There is a lot of weirdness with the central pallor
Dacryocytes
Tear drop cells
Degmacytes
Bite cells
Caused by macrophages in the spleen taking bites out of the RBC
Drepanocytes
Sickle cells
Caused by the polymerization of Hgb S
Echinocytes
Hedgehog cells, burr cells
Have lots of little spikies
Keratocyte
Horn or helmet cells
Caused by fragmentation of RBCs
Knizocyte
Pinch cells
Band of Hgb across the central pallor
Ovalocyte/Elliptocyte
Oval to rod-shaped RBC
Pyknocyte
Blister cell
Central pallor is one half, other half is full of Hgb
Black and white cookie
Schistocyte
Small pieces of RBC
Caused by mechanical destruction of RBC
Schistocyte
Small pieces of RBC
Caused by mechanical destruction of RBC
Spherocyte
Spherical, often darker colored, edged look taut
Can be macro or micro
Caused by mutations in the structural proteins of the RBC membrane
Stomatocyte
Coin slit central pallor
Anisocytosis
General variation in RBC size
Measured by RBW
Dimorphism
Two distinct RBC populations are present
Microcyte
RBC with a diameter less than 7 um
MCV less than 80
Macrocyte
RBC with a diameter greater than 8 um
MCV greater than 100
Polychromasia
Darker red/purple cells
Indicates an increased number of immature RBCs
Hypochromia
Larger area of central pallor
Caused by insufficient Hgb
Agglutination
Caused by blood clotting or cold agglutinins
Rouleaux
When more than 5 RBCs are stacked in a row
Caused by high protein levels
Basophilic Stippling
RNA seen as spots in the cell
Seen with Wrights stain
Barr Bodies
Inactivated X chromosome
Cabot Ring
Figure 8 of leftover microtubules from the mitotic spindle
Seen with Wrights stain
Dyserythropoiesis
General creation of poor RBCs
Heinz Bodies
Precipitated Hgb
Only seen with supravital stain
Hemoglobin C
Rod-shaped crystal that makes the RBC rod-shaped
Seen with Wrights stain
Hemoglobin H
Golf-ball like appearance
Caused by Hgb beta-chain tetramers
Seen with supravital stain
Hemoglobin SC
Bird in flight
Seen with Wrights stain
Howell-Jolley Bodies
Round body of DNA, only 1 or 2 per cell
Seen with Wrights stain
Iron/Sideroblasts
Nucleated RBCs that contain iron granules
Ringed sideroblasts have half of the nucleus surrounded
Seen with Prussian blue stain
Malaria
Micro-organism in the RBC
Seen with Wrights stain
Pappenheimer Bodies
Clusters of iron granules
Seen with Wrights or Prussian blue stain
Reticulum
RNA seen in the cell
Seen with supravital stain