Which type of red blood cell is commonly found in patients with thalassemias?

In patients with thalassemias, target cells are commonly observed. These cells have a characteristic appearance that resembles a target, with a central area of hemoglobin surrounded by a clear zone and an outer ring of hemoglobin. This distinctive morphology arises primarily due to an imbalance in the production of hemoglobin chains, which is a hallmark of thalassemias. The imbalance leads to excess membrane surface area relative to the amount of hemoglobin, resulting in the target cell shape.

Target cells can be a reflection of hypochromia and microcytosis, which are frequently found in thalassemia due to the decreased synthesis of hemoglobin. These cells can be particularly useful diagnostically, as their presence helps to differentiate thalassemias from other types of anemia.

In contrast, schistocytes are fragmented red blood cells often seen in conditions involving microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, macrocytes are large red blood cells typically indicative of macrocytic anemias such as vitamin B12 or folate deficiency, and spherocytes are round, dense cells found commonly in conditions like hereditary spherocytosis or autoimmune hemolytic anemia. Each of these has different underlying pathophysiologies and is not characteristic of thal