Other names: atypical shape of erythrocytes, spherocytes

What does it mean?

Production of red blood cells and generally all other blood cells (hematopoiesis) is a very complex and complicated process, which consists of a series of steps which must undergo blood cell, than from bone marrow “dropped” like “fit to work”. Unfortunately, in such a complex process often occurs for a number of variations, but a healthy organism can cope with them and “inappropriate” corpuscles, which at some point of development acquired a mistake to let the circulation.

But if the errors are in large numbers already organism fails to classify cells into “good” and “bad”, and those containing an error, to get into the blood stream, often in large numbers.

Normal red blood cell is technically known as a biconcave shape – that is shaped roughly like pound cake, which anyone dented the middle finger dimple – from both sides. Such a shape is for blood cell advantageous because it increases its surface area and thus can be coupled to a blood cell large amount of oxygen molecules, than would be established on a sphere of the same radius. Erythrocyte shape is because very strictly guarded and encrypted during the development of blood cells. However, there are diseases during which a change of the encryption mechanism and the cells take different shapes – sickle, round or otherwise deformed, or are present changes in size – if the cells large Speaking of macrocytic anemia, if smaller than the norm of microcytic anemia .

The image anemia occurs because of lack of functional hemoglobin – viz. The symptoms of anemia.

The most important and essentially the most common disease of this type are sickle cell anemia andthalassemia. In both cases, the deformation (change in shape) of normal hemoglobin chain.Hemoglobin is a blood stain, which is composed of four protein molecules (tzv.globinů) and a molecule of heme (iron compounds). Hemoglobin has several types of their compounds, wherein the blood cells of healthy adult occurring hemoglobin alpha chain and beta. In the case of sickle cell anemia arises mutation in the beta chain, which gives rise in hemoglobin S. Thus, the affected red blood cells change their shape from biconcave to sickle. In thalassemia occurs either to the fact that beta chain is not created, in other types of thalassemia beta chain is replaced by other types of chains. All this results in a broken red blood cells, atypical shape and size (depending on the type of thalassemia) that may accumulate in the microvasculature, or spleen.

Hence symptoms such as an enlarged spleen or significantly affected hematopoiesis.

What to do?

If you are diagnosed with sickle cell anemia or thalassemia, it is a serious disease that needs to be checked regularly and treat haematologist. What you can do to yourself is to prevent hypothermia,early treatment of infections and preventive immunization – ie. taking vitamins and plant managers to gain immunity. Medical treatment may consist, for example, in blood transfusions masses. If you have a shape atypical cells for a short time, it is necessary to allow a certain time to check whether the blood counts or modified, it is necessary to begin treatment.