Febrile pancytopenia and psychosis revealing pernicious anemia

C Alliot1, F Durigon, M Barrios

  • 1Hematology Division, General Hospital, Annemasse, France. chiab@sante.hautesavoie.net

Minerva Medica
|November 8, 2003
PubMed

The rare case of a 42-year-old woman of African origin presenting with persecution mania leading to admission to a psychiatric hospital is reported. The outcome was rapidly marked by febrile pancytopenia and ataxia leading to the diagnosis of pernicious anemia. Although the hematologic abnormalities and mania were corrected within 2 weeks under vitamin therapy, neural improvement was slower as observed classically. The literature regarding pancytopenia and psychiatric presentations is briefly reviewed, suggesting that vitamin B(12) deficiency may induce paranoid delusion.

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