Pappenheimer Bodies

Pappenheimer bodies are small debris containing iron that can be found in red blood cells. This debris is normally eliminated by the spleen. Pappenheimer bodies are found in patients with no spleen (surgical splenectomy). They are also found in anemia through a defect in the synthesis of the “heme” part of hemoglobin (congenital sideroblastic anemia, or due to lead poisoning or advanced alcoholic cirrhosis) or when there is a congenital defect in the synthesis of one of the two protein chains that make up hemoglobin (thalassemia).