Osmotic Fragility
Definition Osmotic fragility is a test to detect abnormal fragility of red blood cells.
Why is the Test Performed?
This test is performed to detect hereditary spherocytosis and thalassemia.
Hereditary spherocytosis is a relatively common disorder characterized by red blood cells that are intrinsically defective because of their sphere-like shape. These cells have increased osmotic fragility -- they are more fragile than normal.
In thalassemia, some red blood cells are more fragile than normal, but a larger fraction are less fragile than normal.
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