Purpose: The aim of this study was to describe the present clinical characteristics of the pernicious anemia (PA).
Method: It is a retrospective (1996-2002) multicenter (five departments of internal medicine) study of 49 patients presenting an established cobalamin deficiency related to PA.
Results: The median age of the patients was 74 years (25-93), the female/male ratio 2:9. Several autoimmune disorders were noted in 35% of the patients. Various clinical manifestations, mainly neurological, cutaneous and thrombotic, were found in 65.4% of the patients, at least one hematological abnormalities in 100%. Average serum vitamin B12 and homocystein levels were with 73 pg/ml (20-1960) and 42.9 micromol/l (7, 8-124). Anti-intrinsic factor or anti-parietal gastric cells antibodies were found in 87.5% and 62% of the patients (at least one antibody, in 96%) abnormal Schilling's test results in 86%. All the followed patients were successful treated with intramuscular (n = 27) or oral crystalline cyanocobalamin (n = 5).
Conclusions: PA was associated with several autoimmune disorders; PA may be responsible of various clinical manifestations or biological abnormalities; and oral crystalline cyanocobalamin treatment may be successful.