megalocyte
Definition
Noun:
* An abnormally large red blood cell (associated with pernicious anemia): A megalocyte is a medical term for an unusually large, immature red blood cell (erythrocyte). Its presence in the blood is a characteristic finding in certain types of anemia, most notably pernicious anemia, which is caused by a deficiency of vitamin B12.
Examples of Usage
- Noun:
- The blood smear revealed numerous
megalocytes, confirming the diagnosis of megaloblastic anemia. - A key laboratory finding for pernicious anemia is the presence of
megalocytesin the peripheral blood. - The pathologist identified the large, oval-shaped cells as
megalocytes.
Advanced Usage
- In Medical Context: The term is almost exclusively used in hematology (the study of blood) and clinical pathology. It is a specific diagnostic indicator rather than a general descriptive term.
- The
megalocytecount is a critical parameter in the differential diagnosis of macrocytic anemias.
Variants and Related Words
- Megaloblastic (adj): Pertaining to or characterized by the presence of megaloblasts (the precursor cells in the bone marrow that develop into megalocytes).
- She has a
megaloblasticbone marrow morphology.
- Macrocyte (n): A general term for any abnormally large red blood cell. A is a specific type of macrocyte associated with impaired DNA synthesis.
- Megaloblast (n): The large, immature precursor cell found in the bone marrow that matures into a .
Synonyms
- Macrocyte (though this is a broader term)
- Giant erythrocyte (descriptive synonym)
Related Phrases / Compound Terms
- Megalocyte-macrocyte: Sometimes used together to emphasize the size abnormality.
- The anemia was characterized by a
megalocyte-macrocytepredominance.
Noun
-
abnormally large red blood cell (associated with pernicious anemia)
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