Stress Reticulocytes

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Stress Reticulocytes

  • When the large reticulocytes normally found in the bone marrow are present in the peripheral blood, they are referred to as shift or stress reticulocytes.
  • These cells may be up to twice the size of normal mature red cells and are an indication of the bone marrow's response to severe anemia.
  • In addition to recognizing their appearance as polychromatophlic cells on Wright's stained smears, it is now possible to quantify stress reticulocytes using a fluorescent stain.
    • They are classified as high, medium, or low using a fluorescent-sensitive flow cytometer.