Page 216 - Haematologica Atlas of Hematologic Cytology

Figure 11. thalassemia trait. Peripheral blood smear showing mild anisopoikilocytosis, microcy c hypochromic cells, occasional target cells with elliptocytes, dacriocytes and schistocytes. The pa ent had high red cell count and raised hemoglobin A2 and normal fetal hemoglobin. -Thalassemia trait (or thalassemia minor) is an asymptoma c condi- on. Diagnosis is based on blood count, peripheral blood smear and Hb electrophoresis.
Figure 1 . thalassemia trait. Peripheral blood smear from the same case as Figure 11, at higher magni ca on. Note basophilic s ppling in two red cells, one of which is a dacryocyte. When microcytosis and hypochromia are found in a pa ent, the presence of target cells and/or basophilic s ppling on the peripheral blood smear suggests a diagno- sis of thalassemia trait rather than iron de ciency.
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