Red blood cell

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Red blood cells (RBCs), or erythrocytes, are the most common type of blood cell in the human body.

Discoctyes are normally shaped red blood cells and stomatocytes are cup-shaped red blood cells[1] which may appear to have a slit shape in the center, like a coffee bean.

In ME/CFS[edit | edit source]

Red blood cell shapes. Cup-shaped stomatocytes, next to normal biconcave discoctyes.[https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12195-008-0019-5 Citation: Khairy, K., Foo, J. & Howard, J. Cel. Mol. Bioeng. (2008) 1: 173.

Red blood cell abnormalities have been found in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and Gulf War Illness

A small study of veterans with Gulf War Illness found increased deformability (the ability of erythrocytes to change shape under a given level of applied stress without rupturing) along with increased mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) and red blood cell distribution width (RDW).[2]

A 1989 study found higher numbers of cup-form red blood cells known as stomatocytes in ME patients versus controls.[3]

Studies[edit | edit source]

  • 1989, Red blood cell morphology in chronic fatigue syndrome.[4]
  • 1991, Red blood cell magnesium and chronic fatigue syndrome.[5]
  • 1994, Normal red cell magnesium concentrations and magnesium loading tests in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.[6]
  • 2004, Autonomic function and serum erythropoietin levels in chronic fatigue syndrome.[7]
  • 2018, Red blood cell deformability is diminished in patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.[8]
  • 2018, Abnormal rheological properties of red blood cells as a potential marker of Gulf War Illness: A preliminary study.[2]

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. Khairy, Khaled; Foo, JiJinn; Howard, Jonathon (September 3, 2008). "Shapes of Red Blood Cells: Comparison of 3D Confocal Images with the Bilayer-Couple Model". Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering. 1 (2): 173. doi:10.1007/s12195-008-0019-5. ISSN 1865-5033. PMC 2963995. PMID 21031149.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Falvo, Michael J.; Chen, Yang; Klein, Jacquelyn C.; Ndirangu, Duncan; Condon, Michael R. (2018). "Abnormal rheological properties of red blood cells as a potential marker of Gulf War Illness: A preliminary study". Clinical Hemorheology and Microcirculation. 68 (4): 361–370. doi:10.3233/CH-170262. ISSN 1875-8622. PMID 29660926.
  3. Simpson, LO (1989), "Nondiscocytic erythrocytes in myalgic encephalomyelitis", The New Zealand Medical Journal, 102 (864): 126-127, PMID 2927808
  4. Lloyd, A.; Wakefield, D.; Smith, L.; Isbister, J.; McGrath, M.; Collings, A.; Bajenov, N. (July 22, 1989). "Red blood cell morphology in chronic fatigue syndrome". Lancet (London, England). 2 (8656): 217. ISSN 0140-6736. PMID 2568543.
  5. Cox, I. M.; Campbell, M.J.; Dowson, D. (March 30, 1991). "Red blood cell magnesium and chronic fatigue syndrome". Lancet (London, England). 337 (8744): 757–760. ISSN 0140-6736. PMID 1672392.
  6. Hinds, G.; Bell, N.P.; McMaster, D.; McCluskey, D.R. (September 1994). "Normal red cell magnesium concentrations and magnesium loading tests in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome". Annals of Clinical Biochemistry. 31 (Pt 5): 459–461. doi:10.1177/000456329403100506. ISSN 0004-5632. PMID 7832571.
  7. Winkler, Andrea S.; Blair, Dorothy; Marsden, Joanne T.; Peters, Timothy J.; Wessely, Simon; Cleare, Anthony J. (February 2004). "Autonomic function and serum erythropoietin levels in chronic fatigue syndrome". Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 56 (2): 179–183. doi:10.1016/S0022-3999(03)00543-9. ISSN 0022-3999. PMID 15016575.
  8. Saha, Amit K.; Schmidt, Brendan R.; Wilhelmy, Julie; Nguyen, Vy; Abugherir, Abed; Do, Justin K.; Nemat-Gorgani, Mohsen; Davis, Ronald W.; Ramasubramanian, Anand K. (December 28, 2018). "Red blood cell deformability is diminished in patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome". Clinical Hemorheology and Microcirculation. doi:10.3233/CH-180469. ISSN 1875-8622. PMID 30594919.