Bone marrow nonneoplastic
Noninfectious systemic disorders
Copper deficiency
Author: Nat Pernick, M.D.
Last author update: 1 December 2006
Last staff update: 15 February 2021
Copyright: 2002-2025, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.
PubMed Search: Bone marrow copper deficiency
Table of Contents
Definition / general | Treatment | Microscopic (histologic) description | Microscopic (histologic) images | Peripheral smear images | Differential diagnosisCite this page: Pernick N. Copper deficiency. PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/bonemarrowcopperdeficiency.html. Accessed April 1st, 2025.
Definition / general
- Rare cause of sideroblastic anemia and neutropenia (Am J Hematol 2007;82:625)
- Often due to excess zinc ingestion (CMAJ 2003;169:129, Am J Clin Pathol 2005;123:125)
- Also due to zinc inborn errors of metabolism (J Pediatr Hematol Oncol 2005;27:477, Arch Neurol 2003;60:1303) and total parenteral nutrition (Rinsho Ketsueki 1993;34:171)
Treatment
- Oral copper gluconate
Microscopic (histologic) description
- Resembles myelodysplasia or sideroblastic anemia
- Presence of cytoplasmic vacuoles is suggestive (Ann Clin Biochem 2005;42:227, Am J Clin Pathol 1992;97:665)
Microscopic (histologic) images
Images hosted on other servers:
Extensive vacuolation of erythroid precursors
Vacuoles in erythroid precursors
Vacuoles in immature granulocytes
Vacuoles in myelocyte and basophilic normoblast
Cytoplasmic vacuoles in two pronormoblasts
Sideroblasts (Prussian blue)
Pelger-Huët nuclear anomaly
Peripheral smear images
Images hosted on other servers:
Dimorphic RBCs
More pronounced
anisopoikilocytosis
Differential diagnosis
