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Hereditary elliptocytosis

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Elliptocytosis - hereditary

Hereditary elliptocytosis is a disorder passed down through families in which the red blood cells are abnormally shaped. It is similar to other blood conditions such as hereditary spherocytosis and hereditary ovalocytosis.

Causes

Elliptocytosis affects about 1 in every 2,500 people of northern European heritage. It is more common in people of African and Mediterranean descent. You are more likely to develop this condition if someone in your family has had it.

Symptoms

Symptoms may include:

  • Fatigue.
  • Shortness of breath.
  • Yellow skin and eyes (jaundice). This may continue for a long time in a newborn.

Exams and Tests

An exam by your health care provider may show an enlarged spleen.

The following test results may help diagnose the condition:

  • Bilirubin level may be high.
  • Blood smear may show elliptical red blood cells.
  • Complete blood count (CBC) may show anemia or signs of red blood cell destruction.
  • Lactate dehydrogenase level may be high.
  • Imaging of the gallbladder may show gallstones.

Treatment

There is no treatment needed for the disorder unless severe anemia or anemia symptoms occur. Surgery to remove the spleen may decrease the rate of red blood cell damage.

Outlook (Prognosis)

Most people with hereditary elliptocytosis have no problems. They often do not know they have the condition.

Possible Complications

Elliptocytosis is often harmless. In mild cases, fewer than 15% of red blood cells are elliptical-shaped. However, some people may have crises in which the red blood cells rupture. This is more likely to happen when they have a viral infection. People with this disease can develop anemia, jaundice, and gallstones.

When to Contact a Medical Professional

Contact your provider if you have jaundice that does not go away or symptoms of anemia or gallstones.

Prevention

Genetic counseling may be appropriate for people with a family history of this disease who wish to become parents.

Review Date: 3/31/2024

Reviewed By

Todd Gersten, MD, Hematology/Oncology, Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute, Wellington, FL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

References

Gallagher PG. Hemolytic anemias: red blood cell membrane and metabolic defects. In: Goldman L, Cooney KA, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 147.

Gallagher PG. Red blood cell membrane disorders. In: Hoffman R, Benz EJ, Silberstein LE, et al, eds. Hematology: Basic Principles and Practice. 8th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 46.

Prozora S, Gallagher PG. Hereditary elliptocytosis, hereditary pyropoikilocytosis, and related disorders. In: Kliegman RM, St. Geme JW, Blum NJ, et al, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 22nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2025:chap 508.

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© 1997- A.D.A.M., a business unit of Ebix, Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.

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Red blood cells - elliptocytosis - Illustration Thumbnail

Red blood cells - elliptocytosis

Elliptocytosis is a hereditary disorder of the red blood cells (RBCs). In this condition, the RBCs assume an elliptical shape, rather than the typical round shape.

Illustration

Blood cells - Illustration Thumbnail

Blood cells

Blood is comprised of red blood cells, platelets, and various white blood cells.

Illustration

Red blood cells - elliptocytosis - Illustration Thumbnail

Red blood cells - elliptocytosis

Elliptocytosis is a hereditary disorder of the red blood cells (RBCs). In this condition, the RBCs assume an elliptical shape, rather than the typical round shape.

Illustration

Blood cells - Illustration Thumbnail

Blood cells

Blood is comprised of red blood cells, platelets, and various white blood cells.

Illustration

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. No warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, is made as to the accuracy, reliability, timeliness, or correctness of any translations made by a third-party service of the information provided herein into any other language.

© 1997- A.D.A.M., a business unit of Ebix, Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.

All content on this site including text, images, graphics, audio, video, data, metadata, and compilations is protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. You may view the content for personal, noncommercial use. Any other use requires prior written consent from Ebix. You may not copy, reproduce, distribute, transmit, display, publish, reverse-engineer, adapt, modify, store beyond ordinary browser caching, index, mine, scrape, or create derivative works from this content. You may not use automated tools to access or extract content, including to create embeddings, vectors, datasets, or indexes for retrieval systems. Use of any content for training, fine-tuning, calibrating, testing, evaluating, or improving AI systems of any kind is prohibited without express written consent. This includes large language models, machine learning models, neural networks, generative systems, retrieval-augmented systems, and any software that ingests content to produce outputs. Any unauthorized use of the content including AI-related use is a violation of our rights and may result in legal action, damages, and statutory penalties to the fullest extent permitted by law. Ebix reserves the right to enforce its rights through legal, technological, and contractual measures.
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