Ep 488 – Spherocytosis: “I Have a Client Who . . .” Pathology Conversations with Ruth Werner

For his 40th birthday, a man is treating himself to his very first massage. His health history includes a few noteworthy details, one of which is a condition neither his massage therapist nor I had ever encountered before: hereditary spherocytosis. Are there any potential concerns? Possibly.

Resources: 

Hereditary Spherocytosis - Symptoms, Causes, Treatment | NORD (no date). Available at: https://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/anemia-hereditary-spherocytic-hemolytic/ (Accessed: 19 February 2025).

Hereditary spherocytosis: MedlinePlus Genetics (no date). Available at: https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/condition/hereditary-spherocytosis/ (Accessed: 19 February 2025).

‘Hereditary Spherocytosis: Practice Essentials, Pathophysiology, Etiology’ (2023). Available at: https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/206107-overview?_gl=1*1ulm2jw*_gcl_au*NDQwNzg1MDc3LjE3MzkzMDYxNDM. (Accessed: 19 February 2025).

Hereditary Spherocytosis: What It Is, Symptoms, Causes & Treatment (no date) Cleveland Clinic. Available at: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/23058-hereditary-spherocytosis (Accessed: 19 February 2025).

Mehta, P. (no date) What Is Hereditary Spherocytosis?, WebMD. Available at: https://www.webmd.com/children/what-is-hereditary-spherocytosis (Accessed: 19 February 2025).

 

Host Bio:        

          

Ruth Werner is a former massage therapist, a writer, and an NCBTMB-approved continuing education provider. She wrote A Massage Therapist’s Guide to Pathology, now in its seventh edition, which is used in massage schools worldwide. Werner is also a long-time Massage & Bodywork columnist, most notably of the Pathology Perspectives column. Werner is also ABMP’s partner on Pocket Pathology, a web-based app and quick reference program that puts key information fo