Howell–Jolly bodies

An arrow pointing on the Howell-Jolly body.

Howell-Jolly bodies are basophylic bodies within erythrocytes representing DNA material. Normally they occur only rarely, their presence is a sign of splenic damage. They occur in the following conditions:

• post-splenectomy,
• splenic trauma,
• splenic damage in patients with sickle cell anemia,
• splenic atrophy - sometimes present in patients with coeilac disease,
• splenic damage after radiotherapy,
• hemolytic anemia,
• megaloblastic anemia,
• myelodysplastic syndrome,
• hereditary spherocytosis