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A Systematic Review of Symptoms of Pernicious Anemia
Catherine Heidi Seage1, Alexis Bennett2, Nicola Ward3
1Cardiff School of Sport & Health Sciences, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom.
Insights
Pernicious anemia (PA) presents with diverse symptoms like fatigue and limb sensation loss in adults. Understanding these signs is crucial for timely diagnosis and treatment of this autoimmune condition.
Area of Science:
- Hematology
- Immunology
- Gastroenterology
Background:
- Pernicious anemia (PA) is a macrocytic anemia linked to autoimmune gastritis.
- Healthcare provider awareness of PA symptoms and diagnostic criteria needs improvement for timely diagnosis and treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and document symptoms and clinical complications in adult PA case studies.
- To enhance current clinical understanding of PA presentation.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature search of PsycINFO, Embase, and MEDLINE databases.
- Categorization of symptoms based on the International Classification of Diseases.
- Grouping of symptoms by frequency in documented adult PA cases.
Main Results:
- Symptoms were documented for 103 adults diagnosed with PA.
- Most frequent symptoms included fatigue (55%), loss of sensation in limbs (32%), weight loss (27%), and sore tongue (23%).
- Documented symptoms align with B12 and folate deficiencies.
Conclusions:
- Adult PA exhibits varied symptomology, largely consistent with B12 and folate deficiencies.
- Further research is needed to identify symptom clusters that can prompt diagnostic testing for suspected B12 deficiency.
- Improved understanding of PA symptoms can aid in earlier detection and management.
Background:
Pernicious anemia (PA) is a type of macrocytic anemia caused by autoimmune gastritis. To facilitate timely diagnosis and treatment of PA there is a pressing need for improved understanding among Healthcare providers of the condition's symptoms and diagnostic criteria.
Objective:
This systematic review aims to extend existing clinical knowledge on the presentation of PA by determining which symptoms and clinical complications are reported in published adult case studies.
Methods:
Relevant studies were identified through electronic searches of PsycINFO, Embase, and MEDLINE, via OvidSP. During data extraction symptoms were categorized according to the International Classification of Diseases and were grouped based on frequency.
Results:
Symptoms were documented for 103 adults with a diagnosis of PA; the most frequent symptoms were fatigue (55%), loss of sensation in limbs (32%), excessive weight loss (27%), and a sore tongue (23%).
Conclusions:
This review highlights the diverse symptomology of adults who are diagnosed with PA. Most symptoms documented in case studies are consistent with the core signs of B12 and folate deficiencies. Research is needed to identify if there are common clusters of PA symptoms that can be used as prompts for diagnostic testing in patients with suspected B12 deficiency.
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