Sideroblastic anaemia

**Definition:** Sideroblastic anaemias are a group of disorders in which haemoglobin is insufficiently synthesized, because of defective use of iron (although plasmatic iron levels may be normal or elevated). They are said to be sideroblastic because of the presence of ringed sideroblasts in the blood due to accumulated ferritin in mitochondria. Anaemias may be microcytic hypochrome (in thalassemia and hereditary sideroblastic anaemias), or macrocytic (in idiopathic acquired sideroblastic anaemias).