Ovalocytosis

Ovalocytosis is an inherited condition in which a person's red blood cells, which are supposed to be round, instead have a slightly oval or elliptical shape (also known as hereditary elliptocytosis). This condition is associated with mild hemolytic anemia. In severe cases, the disease may be treated by removal of the spleen.

The term 'ovalocytosis' is most commonly used in reference to a particular subtype of hereditary elliptocytosis known as South-East Asian ovalocytosis, which is caused by a particular mutation in Band 3, an erythrocyte membrane protein.

South-East Asian ovalocytosis is common in some communities in Malaysia and Papua New Guinea, as it confers some resistance to cerebral Falciparum Malaria.