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Tareq Abadl: Your Blood Tells Your Story – Even in the Shape of Its Cells
Tareq Abadl/LinkedIn
Jun 15, 2026, 15:35

Tareq Abadl: Your Blood Tells Your Story – Even in the Shape of Its Cells

Tareq Abadl, Medical Lab Specialist, shared a post on LinkedIn:

“‘Your blood tells your story… even in the shape of its cells’

Sometimes, blood has a ‘dual personality’!

Red Blood Cells (RBCs) should ideally be uniform in size and color. However, in some cases, we find ‘two different teams’ within the same sample.

Scientists call this:

Dimorphic RBC population is the presence of two distinct populations of red blood cells in the same sample.

On the Histogram:

Normally, the curve should have a single peak.In this case, we see two clear, distinct peaks (like two waves).

  • The first peak: Small, pale cells (Microcytic with Hypochromic).
  • The second peak: Normal or larger cells (Normocytic or Macrocytic).

On the Peripheral Blood Smear:

The view is a mixture: small, pale cells alongside normal or larger cells.

The presence of two distinct groups confirms Dimorphism.

Lab Findings:

RDW (Red Cell Distribution Width) is significantly elevated, indicating a wide variation in cell size.

The histogram confirms the presence of two peaks.

The smear reveals two different populations of RBCs.

Common Causes:

  • Treated Iron Deficiency Anemia:

Old cells: Microcytic, Hypochromic.

New cells (post-treatment): Normocytic, Normochromic.

  • Recent Blood Transfusion:

Patient’s cells: Abnormal.

Donor’s cells: Normal.

  • Sideroblastic Anemia: Defect in hemoglobin synthesis within the bone marrow.
  • Combined Deficiency: Such as Iron deficiency with Vitamin B12 or Iron deficiency with Folate deficiency.

Clinical Scenarios:

1.A patient started iron therapy two weeks ago. The histogram will show two peaks: one for the old small cells, and another for the new, normal cells.

Question:

If you see this pattern, what would you conclude is the cause?

2.A patient had a blood transfusion two days ago. The smear will show a mixture of the patient’s abnormal cells and the donor’s normal cells.

Question:

What does this specific mixture indicate?

3.A patient with a combined deficiency (Iron with B12) → The smear will show very small cells next to very large ones.

Question:

What could cause the blood to appear as such an ‘extreme’ mixture?

The Scientific takeaway:

Blood is not just numbers in a lab report… it is a living record that tells the story of treatment, nutrition, and even medical history. Just a glance at the histogram or the smear can reveal many secrets about a patient’s condition.

‘Your blood tells your story… even in the shape of its cells ‘”

Tareq Abadl

Other posts featuring Tareq Abadl on Hemostasis Today.

Blood Dimorphic RBC population Dimorphism Folate Folate Deficiency Health Hematology Hemostasis News Hemostasis Today Iron-Deficiency Anemia Medicine Peripheral Blood Smear RBCs RDW Red Cell Distribution Width Tareq Abadl Vitamin B12 Vitamin B12 Deficiency
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