pernicious anaemia

[janeferguson]

what is this condition and is it harmful

[barry1010]

It is an inability to absorb vitamin B12.
It is harmful and is treated by vitamin B12 injections. Once stabilised, the injections will have to be given for the rest of your life, every three months.

[sqad617]

Vit. B12 deficiency due to lack of a factor in the stomach which enables you to absorb B12.

The Vitamin cannot be absorbed and hence has to be given by injection.

For further information ...Google it.

Harmful? what do you mean? Yes if it goes undiagnosed.

[PurpleParis]

Oh Jane, what do you want to know....I have had six months of pernicious anaemia in my life and I know pretty much all there is to know.
It can be harmful as Sqad said only if undiagnosed. My partners hands became numb in October, doc said...carpal tunnel....come back in three months....couldn't wait three months as the legs from waist down joined in! Had two spells in hospital....still no diagnosis...he got a DVT (mid May) because he couldn't move very well. It was the Haematologist treating the DVT who asked how long had he had pernicious anaemia....we said 'is that what it is?' Almost certainly he said and he now uses my partner as a subject in his teaching as it is unusual to get this bad without being diagnosed. He is now fully loaded with B12 and having his next in September unless he feels he needs it sooner. The change is unbelievable, although he still has the neuropathy (numbness) it is getting better slowly. He was so poorly prior to seeing the Haematologist, hadn't eaten for three weeks and hadn't drank anything properly for a week because he couldn't keep it down, I truly believe I was a day or two from calling an ambulance....thank God for the DVT!
I hope you do not suffer the imcompetence we have Jane...and Sqad before you wade in defending the NHS, I can say this because the Neurologist in question has since written to us apologising for their imcompetence at diagnosing him, promising never to let it happen again.

[janeferguson]

Thank you very much for your detailed answer to my question. It is not I who suffers from this complaint, it is my husband who was always falling asleep and it was when I insisted that he visited his doctor, who took a blood sample, that it was found that he had a B12 deficiency. Thank goodness I did. Again many thanks, I now know what to look out for.

[sqad617]

Purple.....on this occasion, I wouldn't critisize the NHS as PA can be difficult to diagnose. However letting it progress to SCDC is not very clever.

Nice of your Neurologist to apologise and promising it will never happen again, but believe me....it will.

[sanden]

Hi, Just to add a similar story, my daughter went to Rome last September and lost the use of her arm on the flight. She went to hospital in Rome and they thought at first that she had had a stroke, then one doctor asked the right questions and did the right tests, and eventually when she got back here B12 was diagnosed. She is 31 and has the injections every 3 months. My son who is 2 years older found a few months ago that he was getting really tired and just could not cope on a day to day basis, he had blood tests and was also diagnosed with B12. He has the injections every 2 months but needed a lot more to start with to get topped up. Its strange because we hadnt heard of this condition until last September, and now I know a number of people that have the same, and hear about it quite regularly. Once you get stabilised it should be fine. Good luck.