VARIATIONS OF ERYTHROCYTE MORPHOLOGY IN DIFFERENT PATHOLOGIES

In our study we evaluated erythrocytic morphology in different patholo gies which can modify flowing red cells. We followed the methodology p roposed by Zipursky which allows a three-dimensional evaluation of the red cell and a classification according to the shapes observed throug h the optical microscope. We studied 150 subjects: 20 normal subjects, 58 patients suffering from vascular diseases, 40 affected by diabetes (type II) (10 without and 30 with vascular diseases), 22 patients wit h liver disease, 5 patients with monoclonal gammopathies and 5 dehydra ted patients. Results show that in normal subjects bowls, which is the shape of the most deformable red cells, are more (55%) than discocyte s (44%); the altered forms are only 1%. In vascular patients we noted a statistically significant increase of discocytes (60%). There are no significant differences between subjects affected by diabetes without vascular disease and normal subjects. In diabetics with vascular dise ases there are more discocytes (57%) and some altered forms (3%). In p atients suffering from chronic hepatitis a great increase (13%) in ech inocytes and knizocytes was noticed, which suggests an alteration in t he fluidity of the membrane. Our observations testify the importance o f this simple methodology in focusing the morphological alterations wh ich can be accounted for both by pathologies of the red cells and by c hanges in their metabolism.