A Case of Chorea-acanthocytosis

Abstract

Recently we found a case with chorea-acanthocytosis characterized by decreased deformability of red blood cells. The deformability of red blood cells was determined by the capillary tube centrifugal technique and rheocytometry. The former technique revealed that a normal discoid red cell resembled a handbag like form, while an acanthocyte took the mitten-like form. Rheocytometry disclosed that the index of deformability was significantly lower in the patient than in normal individuals. The decrease in deformability may be caused by a fall in viscoelasticity of the erythrocyte membrane. The present observation would present an important key to clarify the nature of this disease.