Clinicopathological Features of 51 Patients with Megaloblastic Anemia due to Vitamin B₁₂ Deficiency

Abstract

The Clinicopathological features of 51 patients with untreated megaloblastic anemia due to vitamin B₁₂ deficiency were analysed. The material consisted of 40 patients with Addisonian pernicious anemia (PA), 10 with postgastrectomy B₁₂ deficiency (PG) and one with blind-loop syndrome. No sex preponderance was noted in PA patients with mean age of 63 years. Mean Broca's indices for PA and PG patients were 88.9% and 77.2%, respectively, showing a poorer nutritional status in PG patients. The mode of onset, clinical symptoms, hematological findings including bone marrow morphology, blood chemistry, ferro-erythrokinetic data and nervous system involvement were all essentially analogous in PA and PG patients. The spleen was palpably enlarged in 25% of PA patients at diagnosis. The correlations between various laboratory parameters were examined.