Ovalocytosis
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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 [1].
See also
Sources
Rita Nanda, M.D., Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IN
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Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .
