Articles on Medical Diseases and Conditions

Pyridoxine (vitamin B6) is necessary for synthesis of D-aminolevulinic acid, a precursor of heme. Pyridoxine-deficient patients develop anemia with microcytic-hypochromic RBCs that can simulate chronic iron deficiency. Both hereditary and acquired (secondary) forms exist. The hereditary form is rare and the acquired form is uncommon, with the most frequently mentioned secondary type being due to […]

The number of RBCs per cubic millimeter gives an indirect estimate of the Hb content of the blood. Manual blood cell counting chamber (hemocytometer) methods give errors of 7%-14% or even more, depending on the experience of the technician. Automatic counting machines reduce this error to about 4%. However, many smaller laboratories do not have […]