Pernicious anemia (Addison's anemia)
In pernicious anemia to find antibodies against the parietal cells of the stomach, and against the interest to the vitamin B12 uptake Intrinsic Factor. This results in anemia.
In consequence of this disease, there is a gastritis type A.
The disease occurs predominantly in elderly patients and affects women more often than men.
Symptoms
- general symptoms of the anemia such as fatigue, reduced performance and pallor
- Decent pale yellow skin color with the pallor and a discrete icterus (jaundice)
- funicular myelosis (disease of the nervous system with tingling, reduction of touch, etc.)
- atrophic inflammation of the tongue (glossitis)
- No swelling of the spleen and lymph nodes
Diagnosis
- Detection of autoantibodies succeed (at> 90%)
- Gastrointestinal diagnosis (See Type A gastritis)
- Blood and bone marrow examinations (megalocytic anemia)
Therapy
- lifelong vitamin B12 substitution