Macrocytic anemia or vitamin B12 deficiency anemia is a deficiency of red blood cells that occurs due to a shortage of this vitamin in the body.
For more information, see our article on:
Group B Vitamins: All the SECRETS of the 8 Different types and their Risks
Index
What are your symptoms?
Its most common symptoms include: feeling tired or fatigued, lack of energy or dizziness when getting up or exerting, loss of appetite, pale skin, diarrhea or constipation, difficulty concentrating, limited breathing when exercising, bleeding gums , inflammation and redness of the tongue.
How can it be diagnosed?
The doctor will take a history and perform a physical exam or checkup that may include testing your reflexes. There is a test known as the Babinski reflex or plantar reflex, which is performed on the sole of the foot and can shed light on whether or not the disease is suffered.
Other tests that are used are: complete blood count and reticulocytes (cells necessary for the formation of red blood cells), vitamin B12 level and serum folate levels, endoscopic examination of the stomach and / or small intestine, and finally, in the more difficult to diagnose cases, bone marrow biopsy.
It is necessary to rule out if it is pernicious anemia, a type of anemia that occurs when the body destroys the cells that produce intrinsic factor, necessary to absorb vitamin B12.
Medical treatments
Treatment is subject to the cause of vitamin B12 deficiency anemia and in most cases it is usually effective:
If it is about people with anemia due to a lack of vitamin B12 in the diet, they are indicated vitamin supplements and follow a more balanced diet. Treatment with vitamin B12 intramuscularly (injected) is usually started.
If the cause is due to poor absorption and digestion, it is treated with injections of vitamin B12. They are usually indicated daily for a week and then once a month.
When pernicious anemia is addressed , a lifetime of vitamin B12 replacement is required, in injections . Even though high-dose oral vitamin B12 tablets could be an alternative.
Causes of suffering it
Regarding diet:
- To be vegetarian
- Having had a poor diet during childhood
- Malnutrition during pregnancy
Referring to the insufficient absorption of vitamin B12:
- Chronic alcoholism
- Crohn’s disease
- Celiac disease
- Pernicious anemia
Learn more about Essential Vitamins for your Health
How does it affect children, youth and adults?
In general, vitamin B12 deficiency causes fatigue, weakness, constipation, loss of appetite and weight, and megaloblastic anemia . It can lead to neurological problems, such as numbness and tingling in the hands and feet. It can also cause balance problems, depression, confusion, dementia, memory difficulties, and swelling of the mouth or tongue.
In infants and children up to 5 years of age, signs of a vitamin B12 deficiency include growth retardation, movement disorders, delays in reaching the expected development for their age, and megaloblastic anemia.
In adults, it is considered a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, a deficiency of vitamin B12 and folic acid is being studied with the appearance of breast cancer, it increases the risk of dementia in the elderly, it is said that it increases the risk of diseases such as depression and osteoporosis and finally, it affects the nervous system in general.
Macrocytic anemia and leukopenia
Microcytic anemia is a term for any type of anemia in which the red blood cells are small; while leukopenia is the decrease in the number of leukocytes in the blood (less than 4,000 per cubic millimeter).
The causes of leukopenia can be infection by typhoid fever, measles, rubella, lechina (chickenpox), influenza, dengue or viral hepatitis, gram-negative sepsis (great immune response to a bacterial infection), allergic diseases or collagen.
Risks of suffering from it during pregnancy
Although 9 out of 10 anemias that occur during pregnancy are iron deficiency (due to iron deficiency ), the remaining percentage may appear anemias such as macrocytic. It is estimated that they may be due to an excess of lipids deposited in the membrane of red blood cells and their cause may be excessive alcohol consumption. Its greatest risk is its impact on liver function.
You will be interested in reading about the Liver: Diseases, Bacteria, Detoxify it, Cleanse it, Donations and Main Functions
When is it said to be hyperchromic macrocytic anemia?
There are several types of hyperchromic macrocytic anemias, the most common are Megaloblastic anemia (due to vitamin B12 or folic acid deficiency) and Non-Megaloblastic anemias such as hyperregenerative ones, anemia due to vitamin C deficiency (scurvy); and those of different origins, such as aplastic anemia, myxedema and liver disease.
Another type of hypochromic macrocytic anemia is Pernicious, which occurs due to deficiency in the absorption of vitamin B12.
Aspects of normochromic macrocytes
There is a way to measure the size of red blood cells, it is known as mean corpuscular volume (MCV). When this measurement is greater than normal (82-98 fentoliters) it implies that the cell is larger than expected, then it is called macrocytic anemia.
Another measure of the components of the blood is the mean corpuscular hemoglobin, or mean cellular hemoglobin (HCM), it expresses the mass of hemoglobin that a red blood cell contains.
In normochromic macrocytic anemias, the MCV or HCM values appear normal. Hence its name. They are anemias that are usually associated with chronic diseases such as chronic kidney failure, rheumatoid arthritis, neoplasms, connective tissue diseases, lymphomas, among others. However, it is necessary to rule out the joint presence of another type of anemia.
Can it be said macrocytic or pernicious anemia?
Pernicious anemia appears due to a deficiency of vitamin B12, as a consequence of a defect in its absorption. In 9 out of 10 cases it is an autoimmune reaction. Pernicious anemia is a type of macrocytic anemia.
Differences between macrocytic and microcytic
Macrocytic anemias encompass groups of anemias characterized by red blood cells with a mean corpuscular volume (MCV) greater than 100 cubic microns, while microcytic anemias have a MCV of less than 98-100 cubic microns.
Mean corpuscular volume is a way of measuring red blood cells. Macrocytic anemias are due to a deficiency of folic acid or vitamin B12; while the microcytic ones have their origin in iron and vitamin C deficiencies.
Proper nutrition and prohibited foods
Macrocytic anemias to address and microcytic is essential consuming a balanced diet can provide folic acid, vitamin B12, iron and vitamin C . However, as a rescue mechanism, doctors often indicate oral or injected supplements of these minerals and vitamins.
Changes in eating habits, preparing varied meals that include some type of meat or seafood, legumes, nuts and citrus fruits in the right proportions, can help. Also, beverages such as coffee , tea , wine, and vinegar, should be avoided.
If you want more information see these articles:
- The Top 10 Vitamin and Mineral Supplements for our health
- Ranking of the 50 foods with the most Vitamin C
Natural treatments
Treatments for anemias are inclined to favor the consumption of some foods that are known to improve the levels of vitamins and minerals absent in those who suffer from it, such as grains, legumes in general and fruits such as lemon, apple , guava and the Orange; vegetables like beets, herbs like dandelion, nettle and dill. And, at the same time, discard those drinks that could, for example, interfere with the absorption of iron, such as the tannins present in tea.
Articles on other types of anemia
We leave you a list with the articles of the other types of anemia that we have created, to make it easier to find information:
- Anemia: Risks, Causes, Treatments and Diagnoses
- Macrocytic Anemia: Medical and Natural Treatments, Causes and Diagnosis
- Hemolytic Anemia: Risks, Causes, Treatments and Diagnoses
- Iron Deficiency Anemia: Risks, Causes, Treatments, And Diagnoses
- Sickle Cell Anemia: Risks, Causes, Treatments, and Diagnoses
- Fanconi Anemia: Risks, Causes, Treatments, And Diagnoses
- Aplastic Anemia: Risks, Causes, Treatments, And Diagnoses
- Sideroblastic Anemia: Risks, Causes, Treatments, and Diagnoses
- Pernicious Anemia: Risks, Causes, Treatments, And Diagnoses
- Normocytic Anemia: Risks, Causes, Treatments, and Diagnoses
- Small Cell Anemia: Risks, Causes, Treatments, And Diagnoses
- Megaloblastic Anemia: Risks, Causes, Treatments, And Diagnoses
Kathie Sand always saw the world of beauty as the terrain on which to build her professional career, a goal that was clear to her when she was only 15 years old. Her great concern to expand knowledge led her to settle in Paris where she studied hand in hand with the best beauty professionals and with the most advanced techniques for skin care.