Pernicious anemia: New insights from a gastroenterological point of view

Pernicious anemia （PA） is a macrocytic anemia that is caused by vitamin B12 deficiency, as a result of intrinsic factor deficiency. PA is associated with atrophic body gastritis （ABG）, whose diagnosis is based on histological confirmation of gastric body atrophy. Serological markers that suggest oxyntic mucosa damage are increased fasting gastrin and decreased pepsinogen I. Without performing Schilling＇s test, intrinsic factor deficiency may not be proven, and intrinsic factor and parietal cell antibodies are use- ful surrogate markers of PA, with 73% sensitivity and 100% specificity. PA is mainly considered a disease of the elderly, but younger patients represent about 15% of patients. PA patients may seek medical advice due to symptoms related to anemia, such as weak-ness and asthenia. Less commonly, the disease is suspected to be caused by dyspepsia. PA is frequently associated with autoimmune thyroid disease （40%） and other autoimmune disorders, such as diabetes mellitus （10%）, as part of the autoimmune polyen-docrine syndrome. PA is the end-stage of ABG. Long- standing Helicobacter pylori infection probably plays a role in many patients with PA, in whom the active infectious process has been gradually replaced by an autoimmune disease that terminates in a burned-out infection and the irreversible destruction of the gastric body mucosa. Human leucocyte antigen-DR genotypes suggest a role for genetic susceptibility in PA. PA patients should be managed by cobalamin replacement treatment and monitoring for onset of iron deficiency. Moreover, they should be advised about possible gastrointestinal long-term consequences, such as gastric cancer and carcinoids.

Treatment of solitary gastric carcinoid tumor by endoscopic polypectomy in a patient with pernicious anemia

Type I gastric cardnoid tumors result from hypergastrinemia in 1%-7% of patients with pernicious anemia. We diagnosed pernicious anemia in a 48-year-old female patient with complaint of fatigue for three months. She had no gastrointestinal symptoms. Endoscopic examination ot the upper gastrointestinal tract revealed atrophic gastritis and a polypoid lesion in the corpus of 3-4 mm in size. Endoscopic polypectomy was performed. Histopathological examination of the specimen revealed positive chromogranin A and synaptophysin stainings compatible with the diagnosis of a carcinoid tumor. Serum gastrin level was increased, urinary 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid was within the normal range. There was no other symptom, sign, or laboratory finding of a carcinoid syndrome in the patient. No metastasis was found with indium-ill octreotide scan, computed tomographies of abdomen and thorax. Type I gastric carcinoid tumors are only rarely solitary and patients with tumors 〈 1 cm in size may benefit from endoscopic polypectomy.

Pernicious anemia: What are the actual diagnosis criteria?

A gastric intrinsic factor output under 200 U/h after pentagastrin stimulation (N > 2000 U/h) is specific for pernicious anemia. The other findings are either variable or non specific. Serum intrinsic factor antibodies, considered as specific in general practice, are present only in half of the patients with pernicious anemia. In their absence, since the disappearance of the Schilling tests, the gastric tubage currently used for the study of gastric acid secretion, is obligatory for the simultaneous study of intrinsic factor output. This study is important to eliminate another disease much more frequent than pernicious anemia, the protein bound to cobalamin malabsorption was observed in achlorhydric simple atrophic gastritis in the presence of intrinsic factor secretion.

Pernicious Anemia Associated Autoimmune Diseases in a Sub Saharian African Internal Medicine Service

Introduction: Pernicious anemia is an autoimmune disease. It is characterized by the presence of an autoimmune atrophic gastritis and various autoantibodies that lead to a vitamin B12 deficiency responsible for a macrocytic anemia. It is frequently associated with other specific or non-organ- specific autoimmune diseases. We report six patients with pernicious anemia associated with other autoimmune diseases. Patients and Results: There were six patients (4 females/2 males), mean age of 39.67 years. In all cases it was found macrocytic anemia. The average Hb was 6.08 g/dl and the average MGV: 110.67 fl. Bone marrow aspiration was performed in all patients. Megaloblastosis compatible with a lack of vitamin B12 or folic acid was constant. Determination of serum vitamin B12 was low in all cases while folic acid levels were within standards. Immuno- logically it was found in all patients, a positivity of anti-intrinsic factor antibody and/or anti- parietal cells antibody at rates up to 67 times over normal ranges. Pernicious anemia was associated with autoimmune thyroid dysfunction in 4 patients. It was two cases of Hashimoto thyroiditis at hypothyroidic phase (high TSHus, thyréoperoxydase anti-antibody positive (over 10 N) in both cases and Graves’ disease in the two other cases. Pernicious anemia was associated with a syndrome of primary antiphospholipid antibody in a case. Furthermore pernicious anemia was found in a patient autoimmune type 1 diabetes with strongly positive anti -GAD antibodies and rheumatoid arthritis by retaining it in the diagnosis of multiple autoimmune syndrome. Conclusion: These cases illustrate the existence of the association of pernicious anemia with other autoimmune diseases in our context. This should encourage practitioners to seek hided autoimmune diseases when they consider the diagnosis of pernicious anemia.

Luspatercept enhances hemoglobin levels in a Chinese boy with congenital sideroblastic anemia:A case report

BACKGROUND Congenital sideroblastic anemia(CSA)is a rare and heterogeneous group of genetic disorders.Conventional treatment include pyridoxine(vitamin B6)and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation(allo-HSCT),and can alleviate anemia in the majority of cases.Nevertheless,some CSA cases remain unresponsive to pyridoxine or are unable to undergo allo-HSCT.Novel management approaches is necessary to be developed.To explore the response of luspatercept in treating congenital sideroblastic anemia.CASE SUMMARY We share our experience in luspatercept in a 4-year-old male patient with CSA.Luspatercept was administered subcutaneously at doses of 1.0 mg/kg/dose to 1.25 mg/kg/dose every 3 wk,three consecutive doses,evaluating the hematological response.Luspatercept leading to a significant improvement in the patient's anemia.The median hemoglobin during the overall treatment with three doses of luspatercept was 90(75-101)g/L,the median absolute reticulocyte count was 0.0593(0.0277-0.1030)×10^(12)/L,the median serum ferritin was 304.3(234.4-399)ng/mL,and the median lifespan of mature red blood cells was 80(57-92)days.Notably,no adverse reactions,such as headaches,dizziness,vomiting,joint pain,or back pain,were observed during the treatment period.CONCLUSION We believe that luspatercept might emerge as a viable therapeutic option for the maintenance treatment of CSA or as a bridging treatment option before hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Parenteral iron therapy in children with iron deficiency anemia

Iron deficiency anemia(IDA)continues to be a global public health problem.Oral iron is the universally accepted first-line therapy,and most children have a prompt and favorable response to oral formulations.In subsets of children who fail to respond due to intolerance,poor adherence,or inadequate intestinal absorption,parenteral iron is indicated.Despite numerous studies in adults with IDA of diverse etiologies,pediatric studies on parenteral iron use are very limited.Although mostly retrospective and small,these studies have documented the efficacy and safety profile of intravenous iron formulations.In this editorial the author comments on the most important published data and underscores the need to seriously consider parenteral iron use in children unresponsive to oral therapy.

Exertional heat stroke with pronounced presentation of microangiopathic hemolytic anemia:A case report

BACKGROUND Exertional heat stroke(EHS)is a critical condition arising from prolonged physical exertion in high temperatures that typically presents with normal hemoglobin levels.However,atypical presentations can also occur,leading to significant complications such as hemolytic anemia and organ dysfunction.CASE SUMMARY This case report describes a male patient who experienced moderate-to-severe anemia that was difficult to correct,with a confirmed diagnosis of microangiopathic hemolytic anemia accompanying multiple organ dysfunction syndrome,indicative of critical EHS.Despite intensive resuscitation efforts,the patient’s condition deteriorated,necessitating admission to the intensive care unit for advanced management.CONCLUSION This case highlights the importance of recognizing atypical presentations of EHS,particularly that with significant hemolytic anemia and concurrent organ failure.Clinicians should maintain a high level of suspicion for these complications in patients displaying symptoms of heat-related illness,especially when caused by strenuous activity,as early diagnosis and intervention are crucial to improve patient outcomes.

Alectinib-Induced Immune Hemolytic Anemia in a Patient with Lung Adenocarcinoma: Case Report and Literature Review

Alectinib is a selective Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK) tyrosine kinase inhibitor used as standard therapy for ALK-rearranged lung adenocarcinoma. Hemolytic anemia is considered a rare but significant adverse event of alectinib. Here, we report the case of a 78-year-old female with advanced ALK rearrangement-positive lung adenocarcinoma who developed grade 4 drug-induced hemolytic anemia after receiving alectinib as first-line therapy. We discontinued alectinib treatment and switched to brigatinib. As a result, anemia improved without recurrence of lung adenocarcinoma over one year.

Classification of anemia for gastroenterologists

Most anemia is related to the digestive system by dietary deficiency, malabsorption, or chronic bleeding. We review the World Health Organization definition of anemia, its morphological classifi cation (microcytic, macrocytic and normocytic) and pathogenic classi-fication (regenerative and hypo regenerative), and integration of these classifications. Interpretation of laboratory tests is included, from the simplest (blood count, routine biochemistry) to the more specific (iron metabolism, vitamin B12, folic acid, reticulocytes, erythropoietin, bone marrow examination and Schilling test). In the text and various algorithms, we propose a hierarchical and logical way to reach a diagnosis as quickly as possible, by properly managing the medical interview, physical examination, appropriate laboratory tests, bone marrow examination, and other comple-mentary tests. The prevalence is emphasized in all sections so that the gastroenterologist can direct the diagnosis to the most common diseases, although the tables also include rare diseases. Digestive diseases potentially causing anemia have been studied in preference, but other causes of anemia have been included in the text and tables. Primitive hematological diseases that cause anemia are only listed, but are not discussed in depth. The last section is dedicated to simplifying all items discussed above, using practical rules to guide diagnosis and medical care with the greatest economy of resources and time.

Anemia in cirrhosis:An underestimated entity

Anemia in a patient with cirrhosis is a clinically pertinent but often overlooked clinical entity.Relevant guidelines highlight the algorithmic approach of managing a patient of cirrhosis presenting with acute variceal hemorrhage but day-to-day management in hospital and out-patient raises multiple dilemmas:Whether anemia is a disease complication or a part of the disease spectrum?Should iron,folic acid,and vitamin B complex supplementation and nutritional advice,suffice in those who can perform tasks of daily living but have persistently low hemoglobin.How does one investigate and manage anemia due to multifactorial etiologies in the same patient:Acute or chronic blood loss because of portal hypertension and bone marrow aplasia secondary to hepatitis B or C viremia?To add to the clinician’s woes the prevalence of anemia increases with increasing disease severity.We thus aim to critically analyze the various pathophysiological mechanisms complicating anemia in a patient with cirrhosis with an emphasis on the diagnostic flowchart in such patients and proposed management protocols thereafter.

Effect of ginsenoside Rg1 on hematopoietic stem cells in treating aplastic anemia in mice via MAPK pathway

BACKGROUND Aplastic anemia(AA)presents a significant clinical challenge as a life-threatening condition due to failure to produce essential blood cells,with the current the-rapeutic options being notably limited.AIM To assess the therapeutic potential of ginsenoside Rg1 on AA,specifically its protective effects,while elucidating the mechanism at play.METHODS We employed a model of myelosuppression induced by cyclophosphamide(CTX)in C57 mice,followed by administration of ginsenoside Rg1 over 13 d.The invest-igation included examining the bone marrow,thymus and spleen for pathological changes via hematoxylin-eosin staining.Moreover,orbital blood of mice was collected for blood routine examinations.Flow cytometry was employed to identify the impact of ginsenoside Rg1 on cell apoptosis and cycle in the bone marrow of AA mice.Additionally,the study further evaluated cytokine levels with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and analyzed the expression of key proteins in the MAPK signaling pathway via western blot.RESULTS Administration of CTX led to significant damage to the bone marrow’s structural integrity and a reduction in hematopoietic cells,establishing a model of AA.Ginsenoside Rg1 successfully reversed hematopoietic dysfunction in AA mice.In comparison to the AA group,ginsenoside Rg1 provided relief by reducing the induction of cell apoptosis and inflammation factors caused by CTX.Furthermore,it helped alleviate the blockade in the cell cycle.Treatment with ginsenoside Rg1 significantly alleviated myelosuppression in mice by inhibiting the MAPK signaling pathway.CONCLUSION This study suggested that ginsenoside Rg1 addresses AA by alleviating myelosuppression,primarily through modulating the MAPK signaling pathway,which paves the way for a novel therapeutic strategy in treating AA,highlighting the potential of ginsenoside Rg1 as a beneficial intervention.

Charactistics of Anemia in Cirrhotics in the Gastroenterology Department at Brazzaville University Hospital

Objective: Study of the frequency of anemia, its characteristics and its relationship with different epidemiological, diagnostic and prognostic parameters of cirrhosis. Patients and methods: This was a retrospective descriptive study from January 2016 to December 2019 in the Gastroenterology and Internal Medicine department at the Brazzaville University Hospital. It concerned all cirrhotics hospitalized during the study period and presenting anemia. The epidemiological, diagnostic, and prognostic data studied were collected from medical records. The characteristics of anemia on the blood count were defined based on WHO values. The information collected was entered and processed with Excel 8.0 and EPI data 3.1 software. The Pearson chi2 test at the significance level ≤ 5% was used to compare the results. Results: We collected 102 files of cirrhotic patients during the study period. There were 63 men and 39 women, a sex ratio of 1.6. Among these patients, 77 presented anemia, i.e., a frequency of 75.5% with a male predominance (57.2%). Anemia increased without a significant relationship with age and was more severe in young female subjects (42.8%). The normochromic normocytic character was the most observed (52%). Anemia was more frequent in post-hepatitic cirrhosis, representing 67.5% of cases of anemia. It worsened during digestive bleeding, with the abundance of ascites and the severity of hepatic encephalopathy (p > 0.05). It was significantly associated with the drop in prothrombin level (63.6%), hypoalbuminemia (64.9%), and the Child-Pugh score (p < 0.05).

Inflammation-related iron metabolism disorders and anemia in patients with anti-glomerular basement membrane disease without overt bleeding:a case report

Anti-glomerular basement membrane(anti-GBM)disease is a rare small vessel vasculitis representing the most aggressive form of autoimmune glomerulonephritis.[1,2]Its overall incidence ranges from 0.60 to 1.79 per million population annually.[1]Anti-GBM disease is mediated by abnormal anti-GBM antibody production,which mainly targets GBM and thus contributes to rapid progressive glomerulonephritis with a distinctive pattern of diffuse crescentic formation in the glomeruli.

Profile of Anemia in Cirrhotic Patients at the National Hospital of Niamey

Objective: To study the profile of anemia in cirrhotic patients diagnosed in the Hepato-Gastroenterology (HGE) department of the National Hospital of Niamey. Patients and Method: This was a prospective and descriptive study carried out from August 1, 2023 to February 29, 2024, including cirrhotic patients, with anemia on the blood count, outside of any recent blood transfusion and/or treatment. History of anemia. Results: The diagnosis of anemia was made in 91 patients out of the 100 cirrhotics recorded, 91%. Men were more common, with a sex ratio of 2.79. The average age was 50 ± 14.22 years old. Anemia was moderate in 52.75% of cases (n = 48). It was non-microcytic in 50.55% (n = 46) and iron deficient in 55.56% of cases (n = 20). There was a statistically significant correlation between the severity of anemia and upper gastrointestinal bleeding with a p-value = 0.000. Conclusion: Cirrhotic anemia is multifactorial, which makes its etiological diagnosis complex.

Prevalence of Anemia in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus:A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objective Anemia is a common public health concern in patients with type 2 diabetes worldwide.This study aimed to identify the prevalence of anemia among patients with diabetes.Methods Electronic databases,including PubMed,Scopus,Web of Sciences,and Google Scholar,were searched systematically for studies published between 2010 and 2021.After removing duplicates and inappropriate reports,the remaining manuscripts were reviewed and appraised using theNewcastleOttawa Scale(NOS)tool.A random-effects model was used to calculate the pooled estimates of the extracted data using Stata version 17.Heterogeneity of the studies was assessed using the Q statistic.Results A total of 51 articles containing information on 26,485 patients with diabetes were included in this study.The articles were mainly from Asia(58.82%)and Africa(35.29%).The overall prevalence of anemia was 35.45%(95%CI:30.30–40.76),with no evidence of heterogeneity by sex.Among the two continents with the highest number of studies,the prevalence of anemia in patients with diabetes was significantly higher in Asia[40.02;95%CI:32.72–47.54]compared to Africa[28.46;95%CI:21.90–35.50](P for heterogeneity=0.029).Moreover,there has been an increasing trend in the prevalence of anemia in patients with diabetes over time,from[15.28;95%CI:9.83–22.21]in 2012 to[40.70;95%CI:10.21–75.93]in 2022.Conclusion Globally,approximately 4 in 10 patients with diabetes suffer from anemia.Therefore,routine anemia screening and control programs every 3 months might be useful in improving the quality of life of these patients.

Retinal vein occlusion coinciding with paracentral acute middle maculopathy in patient with menorrhagia causing life-threatening anemia

Dear Editor,We present two cases of retinal vein occlusion,one central retinal vein occlusion(CRVO)and one branch retinal vein occlusion(BRVO)respectively,coinciding with paracentral acute middle maculopathy(PAMM)on optical coherence tomography(OCT)in patients with menorrhagia causing life-threatening anemia.PAMM is considered a manifestation of acute ischemia affecting the deep macular capillary plexus.

A rat model of multicompartmental traumatic injury and hemorrhagic shock induces bone marrow dysfunction and profound anemia

Background:Severe trauma is associated with systemic inflammation and organ dysfunction.Preclinical rodent trauma models are the mainstay of postinjury research but have been criticized for not fully replicating severe human trauma.The aim of this study was to create a rat model of multicompartmental injury which recreates profound traumatic injury.Methods:Male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to unilateral lung contusion and hemorrhagic shock(LCHS),multicompartmental polytrauma(PT)(unilateral lung contusion,hemorrhagic shock,cecectomy,bifemoral pseudofracture),or na?ve controls.Weight,plasma toll-l ike receptor 4(TLR4),hemoglobin,spleen to body weight ratio,bone marrow(BM)erythroid progenitor(CFU-GEMM,BFU-E,and CFU-E)growth,plasma granulocyte colony-stimulating factor(G-CSF)and right lung histologic injury were assessed on day 7,with significance defined as p values<0.05(*).Results:Polytrauma resulted in markedly more profound inhibition of weight gain compared to LCHS(p=0.0002)along with elevated plasma TLR4(p<0.0001),lower hemoglobin(p<0.0001),and enlarged spleen to body weight ratios(p=0.004).Both LCHS and PT demonstrated suppression of CFU-E and BFU-E growth compared to naive(p<0.03,p<0.01).Plasma G-CSF was elevated in PT compared to both na?ve and LCHS(p<0.0001,p=0.02).LCHS and PT demonstrated significant histologic right lung injury with poor alveolar wall integrity and interstitial edema.Conclusions:Multicompartmental injury as described here establishes a reproducible model of multicompartmental injury with worsened anemia,splenic tissue enlargement,weight loss,and increased inflammatory activity compared to a less severe model.This may serve as a more effective model to recreate profound traumatic injury to replicate the human inflammatory response postinjury.

Sarcopenia and Anemia Are Predictors of Poor Prognostic in Cervical Cancer Patients

Objective: Evaluate pretreatment sarcopenia and anemia as prognostic factors in women undergoing treatment for cervical cancer (CC) with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). Methods: 151 women with CC were analysed in this cohort study. Pretreatment computed tomography (CT) images were analysed to assess skeletal muscle index (SMI). Hazard ratios (HR) and multivariate Cox proportional HR were used to analyse association between low SMI, age, body mass index (BMI), haemoglobin levels, histological type, and International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage with PFS and OS. Results: A total of 151 patients were included, 53 (35.1%) presented pretreatment sarcopenia;51 (34%) stage I/II and 100 (66%) stage III/IV. Among those patients in advanced stage (III/IV) 37 (70%) (p = 0.28) were sarcopenic at the beginning of treatment. Sarcopenia was associated with worse progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in our cohort [HR 0.97 (p = 0.01)] [HR 0.73 (p = 0.001)], as well as anemia [HR 0.73 (p = 0.001)] [HR 0.78 (p = 0.001)]. Linear regression models indicated that despite showing no association with age, neutrophil or platelet counts, sarcopenia was associated with pretreatment anemia levels (p = 0.01). After a multivariate analysis, only haemoglobin (anemia) and complete CCRT remained associated with PFS and OS. Sarcopenia and anemia were associated with worse PFS and OS in FIGO stage I/II. Conclusion: Pretreatment sarcopenia was significantly associated with low haemoglobin levels. Anemia and incomplete CCRT were independently associated with poor prognosis in women with CC. Pretreatment sarcopenia, as low SMI, was a predictor of poor prognostic in early stages of CC.

Prevalence and Factors Associated with Anemia among People Living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus Followed at the Outpatient Treatment Centre of Panzi General Referral Hospital in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

Introduction: Anemia in people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV) is a major health problem. Although anemia often responds to combination antiretroviral therapy, many patients remain anemic despite treatment, and such persistent anemia continues to adversely affect prognosis, regardless of drug response. Scientists have identified some of the factors involved. However, the mechanisms put in place have not been effective in overcoming them. Examples include the withdrawal of zidovudine from antiretroviral treatment lines, iron and folate supplementation, etc. Anemia is still a major concern in HIV-positive patients. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of anemia and its associated factors among PLHIV followed up at the outpatient treatment centre (CTA) of the Panzi General Reference Hospital (HGR) in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Method: We conducted a cross-sectional, comparative study of 276 HIV-infected adults on antiretroviral therapy (ART) followed up at the CTA of Panzi HGR. Socio-demographic and nutritional parameters were collected using a survey questionnaire, and clinical assessment and nutritional status were performed at the centre. Hemoglobin, seric albumin and viral load determinations were performed at the HGRP laboratory. We constructed univariate and multivariate logistic regression models to assess factors associated with anemia in people living with HIV/AIDS. Results: We found a prevalence of anemia of 39.4%, including 4.1% severe anemia, 17.7% moderate anemia and 17.5% mild anemia. After multivariate adjustment, the factors associated with anemia in our PLHIV were: moderate undernutrition (aOR = 1.26;95% CI: 1.50 - 4.20;p = 0.001), severe undernutrition (aOR = 115.4;95% CI: 2.04 - 164.52;p = 0.021), hypoalbuminemia (aOR = 2.11;95% CI: 1.87 - 5.10;p = 0.004) and the lower degree of dietary diversity (aOR = 1.56;95% CI: 1.10 - 4.32;p = 0.034). Conclusion: The prevalence of anemia in PLHIV on ART is high. This greatly affects quality of life and increases the need for care. Early detection tools and management algorithms are essential in the follow-up of PLWHIV.

Iron-Deficiency Anemia Management in Gynecological Surgery: A Review of Current Evidence and Best Practices

Purpose: Due to the high prevalence of iron deficiency anemia in women undergoing gynecological surgeries and its association with worse postoperative results, it is necessary to identify and treat anemia preoperatively. However, although anemia and iron deficiency are significant global health problems, there are still disparities in the recognition and implementation of “Patient Blood Management” (PBM) as a comprehensive approach to mitigating the risks associated with these diseases. The purpose of the study is to review best practices for the treatment of anemia based on the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocol and PBM recommendations. Methods: This study reviewed the literature on preoperative iron deficiency anemia in patients undergoing gynecological surgery. We identified references through searches in PubMed using relevant search terms. Results: Among the various strategies used in PBM, perhaps the most important is the early detection and management of anemia. In gynecological surgery, there are several approaches to reducing perioperative blood loss, highlighting the use of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists (aGnRh) and antifibrinolytics. Oral and intravenous iron supplementation can be performed in addition to blood transfusion to treat anemia. Conclusion: Addressing preoperative and postoperative anemia through systematic correction, following the guidelines of the ERAS protocol and PBM guidelines, is essential to improving perioperative outcomes in women undergoing gynecological surgery.