Anisocytosis is the abnormality of red blood cell size, often caused by anemic conditions or vitamin deficiencies. Symptoms include tiredness, shortness of breath, and a racing heartbeat. Treatment depends on the underlying cause.
Anisocytosis refers to the abnormality of the size of red blood cells. This typically means that the blood being tested would show blood cells of varying sizes instead of all appearing relatively uniform. The condition tends to be more of a symptom of other diseases, although the outward symptoms of the disease are usually similar, regardless of the cause. Treatment, on the other hand, can be different, depending on the causative factors.
There are many different diseases or medical conditions that can result in anisocytosis. Many of these are anemic conditions, affecting the production of red blood cells. Some different anemic diseases that can cause changes in blood cell size include sideroblastic anemia, congenital dyserythropoietic anemia, congenital forms of anemia, and thalassemia. Certain vitamin or mineral deficiencies can also affect the way red blood cells are made, and people with iron, vitamin B12, or vitamin A deficiencies can get this change in blood cell size.
Other circumstances may be responsible for causing this condition. Sometimes people get it after receiving a blood transfusion. If the transfused red blood cells are smaller or larger than those of the person receiving the transfusion, anisocytosis may occur, but it is usually temporary.
When people have anisocytosis, they can have a variety of symptoms. The most obvious of these may be tiredness or exhaustion. People can also gasp easily. Some people also experience a racing or pounding heartbeat.
The above three symptoms mainly result from the fact that red blood cell size differences mean that oxygen is less efficiently transported to the body’s tissues. Other symptoms also reflect this decreased ability to carry oxygen. People may have noticeable paleness of the skin, eyeballs, and nail beds. It is observed that many of these symptoms are identical to a number of forms of symptoms of anemia or conditions such as heart failure. The presence of symptoms like these is always an indication to see a doctor for treatment.
As mentioned above, treatment is highly individualized with respect to the underlying condition causing anisocytosis. Underlying anemia that results in unusual differences in red blood cell size might be treated with iron supplementation. A vitamin deficiency would be corrected with the appropriate vitamin in supplement form. The degree to which anisocytosis is treatable depends completely on its cause. With serious diseases that are incurable, it may be impossible to eliminate red blood cell size differences.
Anisocytosis usually suggests problems with the body’s ability to produce red blood cells of a fairly uniform size. It can be a condition that remains a challenge or that is easy to treat. Treatment almost always depends on the underlying cause, and so there is a wide range of potential treatment outcomes because the causes are so plentiful. The disease needs medical attention because it is important to help red blood cells carry oxygen more efficiently as quickly as possible to improve the patient’s health.
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