Howell-Jolly bodies

What it means

Howell-Jolly bodies are small, intra-erythrocytic remnants of erythrocyte nuclei. These inclusions are solitary in each erythrocyte and strongly basophilic. These are often confused with overlying platelets, but can be distinguished by the presence of a halo around overlying platelets.

Purple spheres, usually about 0.5 micrometers in diameter, presenting singly, or rarely multiply, in the cytoplasm of red blood cells.

Rare diseases that can present with this2

The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.

Part of the broader category