Case reports demonstrate effective cytological methods for diagnosing hemolytic anemia in children, indicating the importance of blood smear analysis.
Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is the most frequent erythrocyte enzymatic disorder worldwide, due to an X-linked recessive mutation with a clear male predominance. It is a leading cause of hemolytic anemia. Although diagnosis is confirmed by enzymatic assay outside of hemolytic crises, cytological analysis of peripheral blood smears offers a rapid, accessible, and cost-effective diagnostic orientation. We present two pediatric cases—one typical and one atypical—where blood smear examination, highlighting specific morphological abnormalities such as ghost cells, bite cells, and Heinz bodies (after brilliant cresyl blue staining), provided strong diagnostic guidance. These cases underscore the crucial role of careful cytological examination in the diagnostic approach to hemolytic anemias.
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Ouarradi et al. (2025) studied this question.
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