Anisocytosis: What is it? Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis and Therapy

(or erythrocytes) of various sizes in peripheral blood.

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This haematological alteration is frequently associated with some forms of anemia, but it can also depend on numerous other pathologies or physiological situations. The causes that can induce anisocytosis include myelodysplastic syndromes, food problems (eg vitamin deficiencies or deficiency of iron), chronic inflammatory diseases (such as celiac disease, infections and certain cancers) and pregnancy.

The presence of anisocytosis is detected by undergoing a blood test, which assesses, in particular, the mean corpuscular volume of red blood cells (MCV) and the amplitude of the erythrocyte distribution (RDW).

The treatment of anisocytosis depends on the underlying causes and may include, for example, the intake of iron or vitamin supplements, dietary changes and more or less recurrent blood transfusions.

responsible for the transport of oxygen from the lungs to the tissues. In order to perform their function in the best possible way, the erythrocytes must have a constant shape and size. Normally, a red blood cell appears as a biconcave disk with a flattened nucleus and has an average diameter of about 7 However, in the presence of some pathologies, these parameters can vary and the erythrocytes take on different shapes and sizes.

In the context of laboratory analyzes, the most useful haematochemical parameter to establish whether red blood cells are normal, too large or too small, is the mean corpuscular volume (MCV).

Based on the size of the erythrocytes it is possible to distinguish:

Microcytosis: it is characterized by microcytic erythrocytes, that is, smaller than the norm;
Macrocytosis: it is the opposite condition to microcytosis, in which the erythrocytes have a larger volume than normal.

For the correct clinical interpretation, then, the MCV must be compared with the other erythrocyte indices.

In the presence of anisocytosis, a patient's red blood cells are not the same size. Consequently, the hemoglobin contained in them can also vary. Anisocytosis is generally found in various forms of anemia, but can also be found in pathological conditions and problems of other origins (eg vitamin deficiencies, pregnancy, etc.).

When the examination of the peripheral smear, the red blood cells are of different shapes, sometimes bizarre, we speak of poikilocytosis.

which renders it unable to produce certain blood cell lines (erythrocytes, leukocytes and platelets) in adequate quantities;

Sideroblastic anemia: disease related to an inadequate use of available iron;

Thalassemias: hereditary alterations in the blood, in which there is a deficient synthesis of one or more chains that make up hemoglobin

Leukemias: tumors affecting the hematopoietic stem cells, the bone marrow and the lymphatic system.

Anisocytosis can also be observed in the clinical picture of: