Pernicious anemia is a condition in which the body fails to make enough healthy red blood cells because there is a deficiency of vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 is a nutrient that the body needs in order to make healthy red blood cells and to keep the nervous system working properly. Individuals with pernicious anemia can’t absorb enough vitamin B12 from foods because they lack intrinsic factor (IF), a protein made in the stomach that is necessary for the absorption of vitamin B12. A lack of this protein leads to a deficiency of vitamin B12. ( ) The decreased absorption of vitamin B12 from the gastrointestinal tract that causes this condition is believed to be the result of an autoimmune process which makes the body’s immune system attack the lining of the stomach. Normally, vitamin B12 binds to intrinsic factor in the stomach to help ease its absorption later when digestive products pass through the small intestines. The autoimmune process attacks the IF protein resulting in lower IF levels in stomach secretions, therefore, causing vitamin B12 to not be absorbed. ( ) …show more content…
This symptom occurs because our body doesn't have enough red blood cells to carry oxygen to the different parts of it. Vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to nerve damage. This can cause tingling and numbness in your hands and feet, muscle weakness, and loss of reflexes. You can also feel unsteady and lose your balance. Other symptoms of pernicious anemia can affect the digestive tract causing nausea, heartburn, vomiting, constipation, abdominal bloating, diarrhea, loss of appetite and weight loss. Severe vitamin B12 deficiency can cause neurological problems, such as depression, mental disorientation, and memory loss. A smooth, thick, red tongue is also a sign that there is a vitamin B12
He has the blood condition called pernicious anemia which is caused by not having the factor for B12 absorption. B12 is injected instead of taking it orally because his body cannot absorb the B12 naturally.
An increased MVC is a sign of a macrocytic anemia and is typically caused by folate and B12 deficiency, liver disease, hemolytic anemias, hypothyroidism, and alcoholism (Medscape, 2015). The risk factors for this type of anemia are the lack of meat and dairy products in one?s diet, intestinal disease, lack of intrinsic factor (IF), medications such as antacids or particular diabetes type II meds, and having an endocrine-related autoimmune disorder (Mayo Clinic, 2014). Her physical exam is negative, her asthma is well controlled, and she had no other complaints. Therefore, according to her physical exam, she appears to be a healthy young female. However, her lab values of Hemoglobin 10, Hematocrit 30.1, and an increased MCV are indicative of B-12 deficiency anemia. According to Buttaro, Trybulski, Polgar Bailey, & Sandberg-Cook (2013), mild cases of this type of anemia do not produce many symptoms, therefore, the complete blood count (CBC) usually verifies the diagnosis. The fact that she is vegetarian puts her at an increased risk for B12 deficiency, due to the lack of meat in her diet. Foods that contain B12 are only attained from animals such as meat, dairy, and fish. A deficiency from B12 from deficiency or malabsorption may not manifest for many years (Hunt, Harrington, & Robinson, 2014). The patient states that she does not drink
B7 (Biotin): Depression, lack of intestinal absorption, inflamed bowel syndrome, skin irritation, hair loss, poor muscle control, seizures, development delayed
Vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to cardiovascular disease, cancer, and cognitive dysfunction (Nutrition from 1 to 100, p.
19. Following surgery for stomach cancer, Joe has been diagnosed with pernicious anemia. Which of the following is most likely the cause of this problem? A. he may not be absorbing vitamin B12 from his diet since the operation because of less intrinsic factor
According to the study, the symptoms of anemia include malaise, lethargy, fatigue, swelling belly, pale skin, poor appetite, numerous infections, and crankiness.
The most prominent cause of Iron Deficiency Anemia is bleeding. Blood loss from the Gastrointestinal Tract is a significant cause of anemia for both men and women. When blood is present in excrement, a gastrointestinal problem exists. Many times, people are unaware of these problems with their waste products. When they begin to feel the symptoms of anemia and undergo tests that determine that they are anemic, it begins the process of discovering more health problems. Anemia can serve as the precursor of certain diseases. There are many instances when it is merely a sign of severe disease such as a peptic ulcer disease, gastritis, hemorrhoids, angiodysplasis of the colon, and colonic adenocarcinoma (http://www.physsportsmed.com/issues/sep_96/browne.htm).
Pernicious anemia is the etiology of vitamin B12 deficiency due to the lack of production of an intrinsic factor (IF), altered pH in the small intestine, and lack of absorption of B12 complexes in the terminal ileum as well as folic acid deficiency. Impairment of IF production can occur in adults due to autoimmune destruction of parietal cells, which secrete IF; gastrectomy can significantly reduce the production of IF. A rare congenital autosomal recessive disorder can result in deficiency of IF without gastric atrophy. Other disorders that interfere with the absorption and metabolism of vitamin B12 can produce cobalamin deficiency, with the development of a macrocytic anemia and neurologic complications. Some autoimmune diseases such as Graves' disease, Hashimoto's thyroiditis and vitiligo the depigmentation or blanching of skin areas. (Center Disease Control &Prevention (CDC), 2015)
If a person is not absorbing nutrients adequately, a blood test will detect this lack of nutrient absorption resulting in the decreased of iron absorption. Also, this inability to absorb certain nutrients may cause vitamin deficiencies. These deficiencies deprive the brain, peripheral nervous system, bones, liver and other organs of vital nourishment (Dugdale III, Longstreth, & Zieve, 2010).
Pernicious anemia is an autoimmune disorder that prevents the body from making the intrinsic factor. It is important to know how this process works. An autoimmune disease is a disease where the body’s own immune system makes antibodies that attack its own body because it recognizes something in the body (in this case intrinsic factor) as foreign that needs to be destroyed. The antibodies attack the
Sickle cell anemia (SCA) is one of the most prevalent recessive autosomal diseases in the world, affecting approximately 300,000 newborns each year, with the number predicted to rise to 400,000 by the year 2050. It is a disease of the β-globin gene (HBB), whereby a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) causes the β6 glutamic acid (Glu) to mutate into valine (Val). The resulting Glu6Val changes the conformation of the red blood cell (RBC) because Val is hydrophobic and Glu is acidic, polar, and has a negative charge. This SNP causes the hemoglobin (Hb) to alter its tertiary structure, forming Hb S which then creates long polymers that alter the RBC’s shape. Many forms of treatment for SCA are being researched, with some of the most promising results coming from gene therapy. Although gene therapy does provide a promising outlook for many diseases, the technique is still under
In my opinion, based on signs and symptoms this patient suffers from hemolytic anemia, characterized by reduction in the number of circulating red blood cells, caused by accelerated destruction and removal of these cells from the bloodstream before their normal lifespan is over. When blood cells die, bone marrow produces more blood cells to replace them, however, in HA, the bone marrow does not make red blood cells fast enough to meet the body's needs. Many diseases, conditions, and factors can cause the body to destroy its red blood cells. This type of anemia can be inherited, where parents passed the gen to the child (hemoglobin defects, enzyme defects, membrane defects) or acquired, meaning it developed overtime (infectious diseases: hepatitis, streptococcus; medications such as acetaminophen, antibiotics, ibuprofen, interferon alfa procainamide). In some cases, the cause of hemolytic anemia can’t be established.
There are many different signs and symptoms of pernicious anemia. As mentioned before, the classic sign is the feeling of being tired and weak at all times. Other signs and symptoms can include having a bright red, smooth tongue, tingling and numbness in the hands and feet, shortness of breath (Mary J. Shomon, n.d.) There is also changes in a persons nervous system. Such changes are seen in the patients vision, taste, and smell. The patient may also have an unsteady gait, become depressed, confused, have a loss of memory and develop psychosis. Problems can even occur in the digestive system. This would include bleeding gums, mouth sores, nausea and vomiting. Gas, heartburn, change in bowel movements (constipation or diarrhea), and weight change are some other symptoms. Evan hepatomegaly can be part of the disease process. Left untreated pernicious anemia can lead to heart failure/heart attacks and strokes. The disease also
Introduction:Fanconi anemia or FA, is first described in 1927 Guido who was a Swiss paediatrician. FA is a rare inherited blood disorder that causes to bone marrow failure. FA prevents bone marrow from making enough new blood cells necessary for our body and cause to make many defective blood cells. FA is a blood disorder that can be inherited as Autosomal recessive disorder ,also in some cases it can be inherited as an X-linked recessive condition. It affect many of our body's organs, tissues and system. Children who inherit FA have a higher risk of being born with birth defects.FA is one of many types of Anemia that refers to a condition to lower red blood cells in the body.
Nutrition is an essential component in the complex development of infants, mainly because of their rapid growth in one year. One of the most prevalent nutrition problems among young children in the United States is iron deficiency anemia.1 Anemia is defined as a reduction below normal in the number of red blood cells per cubic millimeter in the quantity of hemoglobin, or in the volume of packed red blood cells per 100 milliliters of blood.1 This reduction occurs when the balance between blood loss and blood production is disturbed.1 Iron deficiency can be defined as absent bone marrow iron stores, an increase in hemoglobin concentration of less than 1.0 g/dL after treatment with iron, or other abnormal values.1 Iron deficiency is found to be more common among low-income children and among African American and Mexican American children.1 The consequences of iron deficiency anemia include poor cognitive and motor development. The purpose of this paper is to present four research studies all focusing on the occurrence of iron-deficiency anemia in newborns in developing countries. The first study will focus on the behavior of infants with iron-deficiency anemia2 in Costa Rica. The following study will exhibit anemia in pregnancy3 and the impact on weight and in the development of anemia in the newborn3 in Brazil. The third study will present the effect of maternal iron deficiency anemia on the iron store of newborns in Ethiopia.4 Lastly, the fourth study is a prospective study