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Echinocyte (from the Greek word echinos, meaning 'hedgehog' or 'sea urchin'), in human biology and medicine, refers to a form of red blood cell that has an abnormal cell membrane characterized by many small, evenly spaced thorny projections. [1] [2] A more common term for these cells is burr cells.
Acanthocyte-like cells may be found in hypothyroidism, after splenectomy, and in myelodysplasia. [12] Acanthocytes should be distinguished from echinocytes, which are also called 'burr cells', which although crenated are dissimilar in that they have multiple, small, projecting spiculations at regular intervals on the cell membrane.
Normal red blood cells are round, flattened disks that are thinner in the middle than at the edges. A poikilocyte is an abnormally-shaped red blood cell. [1] Generally, poikilocytosis can refer to an increase in abnormal red blood cells of any shape, where they make up 10% or more of the total population of red blood cells.
If splenic macrophage function is abnormal or absent because of splenectomy, altered erythrocytes will not be removed from the circulation efficiently. Therefore, increased numbers of target cells may be observed. Autosplenectomy caused by sickle cell anemia or hyposplenism in coeliac disease [3]
Schistocytes are most often found to be microcytic with no area of central pallor. There is usually no change in deformability, but their lifespan is lower than that of a normal red blood cell (120 days). This is due to their abnormal shape which can cause them to undergo hemolysis or be removed by macrophages in the spleen. [3]
Polychromasia is a disorder where there is an abnormally high number of immature red blood cells found in the bloodstream as a result of being prematurely released from the bone marrow during blood formation (poly- refers to many, and -chromasia means color.)
Hereditary elliptocytosis, also known as ovalocytosis, is an inherited blood disorder in which an abnormally large number of the person's red blood cells are elliptical rather than the typical biconcave disc shape. Such morphologically distinctive erythrocytes are sometimes referred to as elliptocytes or ovalocytes.
Rouleaux (singular is rouleau) are stacks or aggregations of red blood cells (RBCs) that form because of the unique discoid shape of the cells in vertebrates. The flat surface of the discoid RBCs gives them a large surface area to make contact with and stick to each other; thus forming a rouleau.