Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
microcytic anemia

microcytic anemia

5.8
A condition where red blood cells are smaller than normal
  • noun
  • /ˌmaɪkroʊˈsɪtɪk əˈniːmiə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : anemia microcítica
  • She learned that microcytic anemia can cause fatigue due to the reduced size of her red blood cells.

Examples

  • Context: Hypochromic microcytic anemia is a component of Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA) and Thalassemia that is widely prevalent in Iran.

    Academic text (2007)

  • AIMS: The present study was undertaken to find the prevalence of hypochromic microcytic anemia in Tabriz, Iran.

    Academic text (2007)

  • Perhaps microcytic anemia may develop if the treatment continues for a longer duration.

    Academic text (2007)

  • The doctor diagnosed him with microcytic anemia after examining his blood test results.

  • Eating iron-rich foods helped improve her microcytic anemia, as her body needed larger red blood cells.

How Small

microcytic anemia
  • Specialized
5.8
macrocytic anemia
  • Specialized
5.8

Surface Forms

microcytic anemia singular
microcytic anemias plural

Morphology

microcytic + anemia

The phrase is directly compositional: 'microcytic' specifies unusually small red blood cells and 'anemia' denotes a condition of low red blood cells, so a learner who knows both constituents can infer 'anemia characterized by small red blood cells'. Although clinical vocabulary, the meaning follows straightforward morphological combination (micro- + cytic + anemia) and is cross-linguistically transparent, so it is predictable for learners who know the parts.

Etymology

Microcytic anemia comes from older word parts: micro- meaning 'small', -cytic meaning 'cell', and anemia meaning 'not enough blood'. So it literally points to 'small blood cells', and that's why the term means a kind of anemia where the red blood cells are smaller than normal.