spherozytosis

HI all the girls in my family had the spleen removed ,and three of my sisters daugthers had the same problem ,we were told that is hereditary but is a rare case because ia mostly seen in northern europe,we were all born in mexico, but a recently discover that my father [decesased] was born out of wedlock and possible roots with german/italian decendants ,he was 6 feet tall ,white ,green eyes ,slim and a very strong caracther . Iam very curius about it and I will apreciate any info.

[Lisa Kessler, MS, CGC]

What you are describing sounds like hereditary spherocytosis. This condition is caused by a defect in the protein on the cell surface of red blood cells. Red blood cells carry the oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. The defective cell surface protein in spherocytosis causes the red blood cells to be fragile, and they are smaller and rounder than other red blood cells. They are also less flexible so they get stuck in small blood passages, particularly the spleen. When they get stuck, they tend to break down causing anemia and possibly problems with that organ. The range of issues that can happen for a person with hereditary spherocytosis is wide and can be minor or significant. It is important that you discuss spherocytosis in detail with your healthcare provider to make sure you understand the best way to take care of yourself and what symptoms to look out for that could signal a major problem.

Hereditary spherocytosis is most common in individuals of Northern European ancestry, but it is found in all populations. The most common form is inherited in a dominant manner, meaning that it is often found in every generation of the family. A person who has dominant hereditary spherocytosis has a 50% chance with each child they have to pass on the hereditary spherocytosis trait.  

[Tort0102]

A related discussion, Spherocytosis was started.