What is poikilocytosis?

Red Blood Cells -I look for these changes in red cells at work :)
RBCs carry oxygen and nutrients to your body's tissues and organs. If your RBCs are irregularly shaped, they may not be able to carry enough oxygen. Poikilocytosis is usually caused by another medical condition, such as anemia, liver disease, alcoholism, or an inherited blood disorder.

 Poikilocytosis is the medical term for having abnormally shaped red blood cells (RBCs) in your blood. Abnormally shaped blood cells are called poikilocytes.

Normally, a person’s RBCs (also called erythrocytes) are disk-shaped with a flattened center on both sides. Poikilocytes may:

  • be flatter than normal
  • be elongated, crescent-shaped, or teardrop-shaped
  • have pointy projections
  • have other abnormal features 
  • Common symptoms of other blood-related disorders, such as anemia, include:
    • fatigue
    • pale skin
    • weakness
    • shortness of breath

    These particular symptoms are a result of not enough oxygen being delivered to the body’s tissues and organs.

  • Examples of other diagnostic tests include:

  • #microbiology #microbiologists #bacteriology #microbes #pharmacology

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