MRCP UK EXAMINATIONS

Detailed explanation-1: -Vitamin B12 and vitamin B9 help form red blood cells. Without enough vitamin B12 or vitamin B9, your body produces abnormal cells called megaloblasts. Megaloblasts don’t divide and reproduce like healthy cells, which means there are fewer red blood cells in your bone marrow.

Detailed explanation-2: -Pernicious anemia is a complex disease, with a clear autoimmune basis. The anemia is megaloblastic and is caused by vitamin B12 deficiency secondary to intrinsic factor (IF) deficiency.

Detailed explanation-3: -Pernicious anemia is a type of vitamin B12 anemia. The body needs vitamin B12 to make red blood cells. You get this vitamin from eating foods such as meat, poultry, shellfish, eggs, and dairy products. A special protein, called intrinsic factor (IF), binds vitamin B12 so that it can be absorbed in the intestines.

Detailed explanation-4: -Core tip: Chronic atrophic autoimmune gastritis is an autoimmune disease characterized by progressive parietal cells destruction leading to hypochlorhydria and intrinsic factor deficiency. These alterations may result in vitamin B12 deficiency and iron malabsorption.