Megaloblastic anemia

Disease	Injury	Nutrition	Poison

Special Topic	Surgery	Symptoms	Test

Megaloblastic anemia

Alternative Names:

Anemia - megaloblastic

Symptoms:

Loss of appetite
Diarrhea
Tingling and numbness of hands and feet
Pale skin color
Tiredness
Headaches
Sore mouth and tongue
Change in skin color

Signs and tests:

Examination of neurological signs may show abnormal reflexes, decreased position sense, and decreased vibration sense if related to Vitamin B12 deficiency.

Tests include:

Complete blood count shows anemia with large red blood cells
Bone marrow examination
Low serum B12 level
Schilling test may identify poor absorption as cause of Vitamin B12 deficiency
Low serum folate level

Review Date: 10/8/2001
Reviewed By: Rebecca Elstrom, M.D., University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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