microcytosis
- noun
- /ˌmaɪ.kroʊ.saɪˈtoʊ.sɪs/
- Specialized
- The macrocytosis in NP- and microcytosis in LP-treated groups at 40d suggests the influence of nutritional status on the effects of E and Q on peripheral blood.
Examples
-
The doctor diagnosed him with microcytosis after examining his blood test results.
-
She learned that microcytosis can lead to symptoms of fatigue and weakness.
-
After reviewing his medical history, the physician noted that microcytosis was a common issue in patients with iron deficiency anemia.
Synonyms
1
5.8
A condition where red blood cells are smaller than normal
How Small
- Specialized
- Specialized
1
9.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
microcytosis = microcyte (opaque) = micro + cyt + osis
The term is a specialized medical formation built on the technical base word 'microcyte', so an average B1 learner is unlikely to infer the meaning from its parts.
Etymology
The word microcytosis comes from the Greek parts micro- meaning 'small', as in microscope, cyt- meaning 'cell', like the common word cell, and -osis meaning 'condition'. So microcytosis literally means a 'condition of small cells', which explains why it names the problem of having too-small red blood cells and the anemia that can follow.