A cell capable of engulfing and destroying blood cells or red blood cells.
From Greek 'haima' (blood) + '-phago-' (eater) + '-cyte' (cell). This describes a specific type of immune cell.
Hemophagocytes are normally helpful—they clean up damaged or old red blood cells—but when they go haywire in conditions like hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), they can become dangerously destructive.
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