Pernicious Defines The Disease A Person Who

While the term 'pernicious anemia is sometimes also incorrectly used to indicate megaloblastic anemia due to any cause of vitamin B12 deficiency its proper usage refers to that caused by atrophic gastritis parietal cell loss and lack of intrinsic factor only usually seated in an atrophic gastritis the autoimmune destruction of gastric parietal cells leads to a lack of intrinsic factor Since the absorption from the gut of normal dietary amounts of vitamin B12 is dependent on intrinsic factor the loss of intrinsic factor leads to vitamin B12 deficiency.



The loss of ability to absorb vitamin B12 is the most common cause of adult vitamin B12 deficiency Such a loss may be due to pernicious anemia with loss of intrinsic factor or to a number of other conditions which decrease production of gastric acid which also plays a part in absorption of vitamin B12 from foods Historically pernicious anemia was generally detected only after it became clinical caused an overt disease state and the anemia was well established ie liver stores of B12 had been depleted.



Replacement of vitamin stores does not correct the defect in absorption from loss of intrinsic factor that technically defines the disease A person who has pernicious anemia defined by inability to absorb vitamin B12 in this way will have it for the remainder of his or her life However unless the patient has sustained permanent peripheral nerve damage before treatment regular B12 replacement will keep pernicious anemia in check.