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Pappenheimer body

Tuesday 17 May 2016

Pappenheimer bodies

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Pappenheimer bodies are abnormal granules of iron found inside red blood cells on routine blood stain.

Image

 https://twitter.com/TeamCaptainJohn/status/731162965429395458

They are a type of inclusion body formed by phagosomes that have engulfed excessive amounts of iron. They appear as dense, blue-purple granules within the red blood cell and there are usually only one or two, located in the cell periphery.

They are seen in diseases such as sideroblastic anemia, hemolytic anemia, and sickle cell disease. They can interfere with platelet counts when the analysis is performed by electro-optical counters.