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URL of this page: //medlineplus.gov/ency/imagepages/1217.htm
Red blood cells, tear-drop shape
Overview
This photomicrograph shows one of the abnormal shapes that red blood cells (RBCs) may assume, a tear-drop shape. Normally, RBCs are round.
Review Date 2/27/2026
Updated by: Jacob Berman, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
