A degmacyte (aka "bite cell") is an abnormally shaped red blood cell with one or more semicircular portions removed from the cell margin.[1] These "bites" result from the removal of denatured hemoglobin by macrophages in the spleen.[2] Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, in which uncontrolled oxidative stress causes hemoglobin to denature and form Heinz bodies, is a common disorder that leads to the formation of bite cells.
The "bites" in degmacytes are smaller than the missing red blood cell fragments seen in schistocytes.
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