reticulocyte

Examples of reticulocyte in the following topics:

• Complete Blood Count

  • This can be diagnosed by drawing blood to analyze the complete blood count and reticulocyte count.
  • Reticulocytes are immature red blood cells, typically composing about 1% of the red cells in the human body.
  • Reticulocytes develop and mature in the red bone marrow and then circulate for about a day in the blood stream before developing into mature red blood cells.
  • Like mature red blood cells, reticulocytes do not have a cell nucleus.
  • This schematic of a reticulocyte shows the reticular network of ribosomal RNA that differentiates the reticulocyte from mature red blood cells.

• Anemia

  • Reticulocyte counts, and the "kinetic" approach to anemia, have become more common than in the past in the large medical centers of the United States and some other wealthy nations; in part, because some automatic counters now have the capacity to include reticulocyte counts.
  • The reticulocyte production index is a calculation of the ratio between the level of anemia and the extent to which the reticulocyte count has risen in response.
  • If the degree of anemia is significant, even a "normal" reticulocyte count actually may reflect an inadequate response.

• RBC Life Cycle

  • Just before and after leaving the bone marrow, the developing cells are known as reticulocytes.
  • After 24 hours in the bloodstream, reticulocytes mature into functional RBCs.

• Sickle-Cell Disease

  • In HbSS, the full blood count reveals hemoglobin levels in the range of 6–8 g/dL with a high reticulocyte count (as the bone marrow compensates for the destruction of sickle cells by producing more red blood cells).