Degmacyte
A degmacyte (aka "bite cell") is an abnormally shaped red blood cell with one or more semicircular portions removed from the cell margin.[1] These "bites" result from the removal of denatured hemoglobin by macrophages in the spleen.[2] Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, in which uncontrolled oxidative stress causes hemoglobin to denature and form Heinz bodies, is a common disorder that leads to the formation of bite cells. Bite cells can contain more than one "bite."
The "bites" in degmacytes are smaller than the missing red blood cell fragments seen in schistocytes.[citation needed]
Blister cell
Blister cells are the precursor of bite cells. In patients with G6PD deficiency, blister cells appear as red blood cells containing a peripherally located vacuole.[3]
Causes
Bite cells are primarily caused by G6PD deficiency and unstable hemoglobins.[3]
References
- ^ Yoo, D; Lessin, LS (1992). "Drug-associated 'bite cell' Hemolytic anemia". The American Journal of Medicine. 92 (3): 243–8. doi:10.1016/0002-9343(92)90071-I. PMID 1546722.
- ^ http://www.mclno.org/webresources/kbase/cellatlas/Bite%20Cell.html
- ^ a b Tkachuk, Douglas C.; Hirschmann, Jan V.; Wintrobe, Maxwell Myer (2007). Wintrobe's Atlas of Clinical Hematology. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. p. 30. ISBN 978-0-7817-7023-1.
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