Pernicious Anemia Research Paper

Pernicious anemia is also known as Biermer’s disease and Addisonian anemia. The first clinical description of pernicious anemia, which is one of the known causes of megaloblastic anemia, has been attributed to Tomas Addison in 1849. One way pernicious can develop is the loss of gastric parietal cells, which are responsible for the secretion of intrinsic factor, a protein necessary for absorption of vitamin B12 in the ileum. Vitamin B12 helps the body make healthy red blood cells and helps keep nerve cells healthy. It is found in animal foods, including meat, fish, eggs, milk, and other dairy products. Diseases, conditions, and lifestyle are factors that can influence the development of pernicious anemia.
Pernicious anemia is more common in people of Northern European and African descent than in other ethnic group. Older people are also at higher risk for the condition. This is mainly due to the …show more content…
As a result of this autoimmune response, chronic atrophic gastritis is seen. Chronic atrophic gastritis is marked by loss of parietal cells, infiltration of lymphocytes and plasma cells. Pernicious anemia patients have a deficiency in vitamin B12, in most cases it is due to the body’s immune system attacking parietal cells of the stomach or vitamin B12-intrinsic factor complexes. Usually the body can differentiate between self and non-self, but in abnormal autoimmune responses, the body attacks its own cells. It is believed that autoimmunity is initiated by activation of antigen-specific T cells. T-cell responses to self-antigens can inflict tissue damage. In the development of pernicious anemia, something triggers B-cells to produce antibodies against parietal cells and intrinsic factor. This in turn results in a deficiency in intrinsic factor which will prevent the absorption of vitamin B12. Symptoms can be observed due to the deficiency of vitamin