[Unusual aspect of pernicious anemia during association of beta-thalassemia: a new case report and literature review]

Mali Med. 2012;27(1):71-2.
[Article in French]

Abstract

Pernicious anemia appears classically by macrocytosis. We report a case of a late discovered Biermer disease, on a 42-year-old young black woman. The reason was an unusual aspect of this disease in a context of betathalassemia. The patient presented chronic anemia which evolved during about ten year. Biology showed a normocytosis and signs of hemolysis according to beta-thalassemia. This was confirmed by an electrophoresis showing 9.1 % of fraction F some haemoglobin. Since this date, the patient was treated by folic acid alone with periodic transfusions of red blood cell. She presented eight years after the beginning of her disease, neurological deterioration. Diagnosis of pernicious anemia was finally established up on histological gastritis, low level of the blood rate of vitamin B12, macrocytosis, and presence of intrinsic anti-factor and parietal anti-cells antibodies.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Anemia, Hypochromic / complications
  • Anemia, Pernicious / blood
  • Anemia, Pernicious / complications
  • Anemia, Pernicious / diagnosis*
  • Anemia, Pernicious / drug therapy
  • Anemia, Pernicious / immunology
  • Anemia, Pernicious / therapy
  • Autoantibodies / blood
  • Autoantibodies / immunology
  • Autoantigens / immunology
  • Combined Modality Therapy
  • Delayed Diagnosis
  • Disease Progression
  • Erythrocyte Transfusion
  • Female
  • Fetal Hemoglobin / analysis
  • Folic Acid / therapeutic use
  • Humans
  • Intrinsic Factor / immunology
  • Iron Deficiencies
  • Paresthesia / etiology
  • Parietal Cells, Gastric / immunology
  • Vitamin B 12 / blood
  • beta-Thalassemia / complications*

Substances

  • Autoantibodies
  • Autoantigens
  • Intrinsic Factor
  • Fetal Hemoglobin
  • Folic Acid
  • Vitamin B 12