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Peripheral blood smear in patient with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura. Typical schistocytes are annotated. A schistocyte (from Greek schistos for "divided" and kytos for "hollow" or "cell") is a fragmented part of a red blood cell. Schistocytes are sometimes referred to as helmet cells because of their irregular shape from mechanical force ...
Microangiopathic hemolytic anemia may be suspected based on routine medical laboratory tests such as a CBC (complete blood cell count). Automated analysers (the machines that perform routine full blood counts in most hospitals) are designed to flag blood specimens that contain abnormal amounts of red blood cell fragments or schistocytes. [2]
The direct Coombs test is used to detect antibodies or complement proteins attached to the surface of red blood cells. To perform the test, a blood sample is taken and the red blood cells are washed (removing the patient's plasma and unbound antibodies from the red blood cells) and then incubated with anti-human globulin ("Coombs reagent").
Increased reticulocytes and the presence of schistocytes in the blood smear of the patient observed during CBC indicates hemolysis. [28] If the patient has hemolytic jaundice, serum testing will show that conjugated bilirubin will only account for less than 15% of the total serum bilirubin due to the increase of unconjugated bilirubin.
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.
Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) is an autoimmune disorder which occurs when antibodies directed against the person's own red blood cells (RBCs) cause them to burst , leading to an insufficient number of oxygen-carrying red blood cells in circulation . The lifetime of the RBCs is reduced from the normal 100–120 days to just a few days in ...
As in the related condition TTP, reduced blood flow through the narrowed blood vessels of the microvasculature leads to reduced blood flow to vital organs, and ischemia may develop. [11] The kidneys and the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) are the parts of the body most critically dependent on high blood flow, and are thus the ...
Most red blood cells are released into the blood as reticulocytes. Polychromasia occurs when the immature reticulocytes of the bone marrow are released, resulting in a grayish blue color of the cells. This color is seen because of the ribosomes still left on the immature blood cells, which are not found on mature red blood cells.