Sideroblastic anemia

What it means

Sideroblastic anemia results from a defect in the incorporation of iron into the heme molecule. A sideroblast is an erythroblast that has stainable deposits of iron in cytoplasm (this can be demonstrated by Prussian blue staining).

Sideroblastic anemia may be either congenital or acquired. In sideroblastic anemia, the hematocrit tends to be around 20 to 30 percent, and the mean corpuscular volume is normal or low.

Rare diseases that can present with this1

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

Also called: Hypersideremic anaemia · Hypersideremic anemia · Sideroblastic anaemia