Thursday, May 23, 2013

Hereditary elliptocytosis

Table of Contents

Definition

Hereditary elliptocytosis is a disorder passed down through families in which the red blood cells are abnormally shaped.

See also:

  • Hereditary spherocytosis
  • Hereditary ovalocystosis

Alternative Names

Elliptocytosis - hereditary


Causes, incidence, and risk factors

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.



Review Date: 02/05/2010
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Yi-Bin Chen, MD, Leukemia/Bone Marrow Transplant Program, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)