Thyroid Gland: Hypothyroidism and Myxedema
Q: What is the name of the condition characterized by low levels of thyroid hormones, often leading to fatigue, weight gain, and cold intolerance?
Did You Know?
Osmotic fragility measures how easily red blood cells swell and burst in hypotonic solutions. Cells with a decreased surface area-to-volume ratio (like spherocytes) have increased fragility (lyse more easily). Conversely, cells with an increased surface area-to-volume ratio are more resistant to lysis—they have decreased osmotic fragility. Target cells, which are thinner and flatter than normal, have excess membrane surface area. This allows them to take in more water before bursting. Therefore, conditions that produce target cells, such as liver disease, obstructive jaundice, and hemoglobinopathies like hemoglobin C disease and thalassemias, are associated with decreased osmotic fragility. In iron deficiency anemia, cells are microcytic but often not true target cells, so fragility is usually normal or slightly increased.
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