Medical Encyclopedia
Thalassemia minor
Thalassemia minor is an inherited form of hemolytic anemia that is less severe than thalassemia major. This blood smear from an individual with thalassemia shows small (microcytic), pale (hypochromic), variously-shaped (poikilocytosis) red blood cells. These small red blood cells (RBCs) are able to carry less oxygen than normal RBCs.
Update Date: 5/3/2006
Updated by: Michael C. Milone, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA.
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