Question

The presence of schistocytes on the peripheral blood smear is commonly associated with: *2 pointsDecreased red cell proliferationIncreased iron mobilizationDecreased erythropoietin activityIncreased red cell destruction

Answer 1

Schistocytes are defined as fragmented red blood cells and can be present in different shapes. With this information, we can proceed to analyze the available options.

-Decreased red cell proliferation: This cannot be because there is no fragmentation.

-Increased iron mobilization: This cannot be because there is no mention of the red cell state

-Decreased erythropoietin activity: This cannot be because is a glycoprotein that stimulates the formation of erythrocytes.

-Increased red cell destruction​: This is the correct option as schistocytes are fragmented red blood cells. The causes can be varied such as damaged endothelium.