Sideroblastic anemia

Sideroblastic anemia, also called sideroachrestic anemia, is a form of anemia in which the bone marrow produces ringed sideroblasts rather than healthy red blood cells. The body has iron available but cannot incorporate it into hemoglobin, which red blood cells need to transport oxygen efficiently. The disorder may be caused by a genetic disorder or indirectly as part of myelodysplastic syndrome, which can develop into hematological malignancies, especially acute myeloid leukemia. Sideroblasts are nucleated erythroblasts with iron granules accumulated in the mitochondria surrounding the nucleus; only the finding of ring sideroblasts, where iron-laden mitochondria form a ring encircling a third or more of the nucleus with five or more iron granules under the 2008 WHO classification, defines sideroblastic anemia.