From the Research
Acanthocyte Count Interpretation
- An acanthocyte count of 2-5% is considered to be within the normal range, as defined by the 99th percentile of combined results of healthy volunteers and patients with movement disorders 1.
- This range is based on the use of isotonically diluted blood samples combined with unfixed wet blood preparation, which has been shown to have high specificity (0.98) and sensitivity in detecting clinically relevant acanthocytosis 1.
- It is worth noting that acanthocyte counts can vary depending on the method of preparation and the population being studied, and that a count of 2-5% may not be indicative of any specific disease or condition 2, 3, 4, 5.
Comparison to Disease-Associated Acanthocyte Counts
- In contrast, patients with diagnosed neuroacanthocytosis syndromes, such as chorea-acanthocytosis, may have significantly higher acanthocyte counts, often ranging from 10-50% or more 3, 4, 5.
- However, the presence of acanthocytes is not exclusive to neuroacanthocytosis syndromes, and can be found in a variety of other diseases, including hemangiosarcoma and other neoplastic disorders 2.