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Start free with EleplanSoutheast Asian ovalocytosis
ORPHA:98868Disease
Also called Hereditary ovalocytosis · Melanesian elliptocytosis · Melanesian ovalocytosis · SAO · Stomatocytic elliptocytosis
What it is
Southeast Asian ovalocytosis (SAO) is a rare hereditary red cell membrane defect characterized by the presence of oval-shaped erythrocytes and with most patients being asymptomatic or occasionally manifesting with mild symptoms such as pallor, jaundice, anemia and gallstones.
Key facts
- Prevalence
- <1 / 1 000 000 (Europe)
- Age of onset
- All ages
- Inheritance
- Autosomal dominant
- Classified as
- Disease
Prevalence figures describe populations, not individuals, and are often estimates from a single study. Where the figure is an incidence or a birth prevalence, it says so.
Signs and symptoms
Common30–79%
13These ranges are how often a sign appears across everyone diagnosed, not a prediction for one person — most people have some of these and not others. Orphanet also records findings that are specifically absent in this disease; those are in the data but not listed here.
Gene
ICD-10 codes
ICD-10 has no distinct code for most rare diseases, so many are filed under the nearest available one. A shared code identifies the group, not this disease — the ORPHAcode above is what identifies it.
Cross-references
Orphadata Science: Free access data from Orphanet. © INSERM 1999. Data version 2026-06-23. Available under CC BY 4.0. This is a reference, not medical advice.
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