Acanthocytosis in a patient with homozygous familial hypobetalipoproteinemia due to a novel APOB splice site mutation.

We report on acanthocytosis in a 31-year-old woman with homozygous familial hypobetalipoproteinemia due to a mutation affecting the splicing of the APOB gene encoding apolipoprotein B. Treatment with fat-soluble vitamins was associated with arrest of the usually progressive neurological complications of this condition. However, the acanthocytosis - literally 'thorny' erythrocytes that result from abnormal membrane fluidity - persists despite treatment.