Red blood cell



Red blood cells (RBCs), also called erythrocytes, are the most common type of blood cell in the human body.

In M.E.
Red blood cell abnormalities have been found in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and Gulf War Illness.

A small study of veterans with Gulf War Illness found increased deformability (the ability of erythrocytes to change shape under a given level of applied stress without rupturing) along with increased mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) and red blood cell distribution width (RDW).

A 1989 study found higher numbers of cup-form red blood cells in M.E. patients versus controls.

Studies

 * 1989, Red blood cell morphology in chronic fatigue syndrome.
 * 1991, Red blood cell magnesium and chronic fatigue syndrome.
 * 1994, Normal red cell magnesium concentrations and magnesium loading tests in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.
 * 2004, Autonomic function and serum erythropoietin levels in chronic fatigue syndrome.
 * 2018, Red blood cell deformability is diminished in patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
 * 2018, Abnormal rheological properties of red blood cells as a potential marker of Gulf War Illness: A preliminary study.