I’m sure, anemic victims are not one of the Edward’s fetishes. Remember him from Twilight? Kidding aside, what is this term called anemia.

Anemia is a condition in which the body will not have a normal number of red blood cells or hemoglobin. The hemoglobin is important for the body and is responsible for carrying oxygen to all tissues in the body.  Here, we will be discussing one type of anemia and this is Pernicious anemia.

The Definition of Pernicious Anemia

Pernicious anemia is a disease where large, immature, nucleated cells circulate in the bloodstream and do not function as blood cells. This is a disease that is caused by the lack of intake of the B12 vitamin which is due to the lack of intrinsic factor or IF in the gastric mucosa. It was coined as pernicious due to the fact that, before it was learned that vitamin B12 injections for weight loss could treat anemia, most people that had the disease died from it.

Megaloblastic Anemia and Its Relevance

Anemias are sometimes subclassified based upon the size and microscopic appearance of the red blood cells. In this case, pernicious anemia is a form of megaloblastic anemia. It refers to an abnormally large type of red blood cell. They are produced in the bone marrow when vitamin B12 or folic acid levels are suddenly low.

The Causes

Pernicious anemia can be considered an autoimmune disease, in which the body’s immune system will mistakenly damage its own tissues. Some believe that the decreased absorption of vitamin B12 from the gastrointestinal tract in pernicious anemia results from the presence of an autoantibody against intrinsic factor. It is a protein made in the stomach which is needed for absorbing the vitamin. In a normal situation, the B12 will bind to an intrinsic factor in the stomach and it will then facilitate in absorption in the small intestine further along the digestive process. Pernicious anemia is sometimes associated with other autoimmune diseases like Grave’s disease, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and vitiligo as well as the depigmentation or blanching of skin areas.