title: Teardrop-shaped red cells in autoimmune hemolytic anemia.
abstract: The presence of teardrop-shaped red cells in peripheral blood has traditionally been felt to reflect altered marrow architecture, namely myelofibrosis. We evaluated two patients with splenomegaly, moderately severe hemolytic anemia due to warm-reactive IgG anti-red cell autoantibody, and bone marrow erythroid hyperplasia without myelofibrosis. A striking predominance of teardrop-shaped red cells was noted upon examination of their blood films. Removal of a spleen containing extramedullary hematopoiesis in one and resolution of splenomegaly in the other were accompanied by disappearance of these cells. Our observations support a role for the spleen and for extramedullary hematopoiesis in the pathogenesis of this distinctive red cell morphologic abnormality.
mesh_terms: D000744:Anemia, Hemolytic, Autoimmune / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000473:pathology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004913:Erythrocytes, Abnormal / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006410:Hematopoiesis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055728:Primary Myelofibrosis / Q000175:diagnosis; D013154:Spleen / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013156:Splenectomy