megalocyte

Thân thiện

A scientist examines a megalocyte under a microscope.

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 megalocytes in 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 megalocyte count 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 megaloblastic bone 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-macrocyte predominance.

Học thuật

Noun

1. abnormally large red blood cell (associated with pernicious anemia)

Từ đồng nghĩa

• macrocyte