Open AccessSubacute combined degeneration: a case of pernicious anaemia without haematological manifestations
Author(s) -
Matthew R Lavoie,
Nicolette C Cohen,
Timothy A Gregory,
P Weber
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
bmj case reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.231
H-Index - 26
ISSN - 1757-790X
DOI - 10.1136/bcr-2020-234276
Subject(s) - subacute combined degeneration , pernicious anaemia , medicine , vitamin b12 , degeneration (medical) , disease , pernicious anemia , intrinsic factor , spinal cord diseases , immunology , spinal cord , anemia , pathology , psychiatry
Vitamin B 12 deficiency can be caused by a diverse group of aetiologies. One of the less common of these is an autoimmune condition pernicious anaemia, so named after the most common physiological manifestation of B 12 deficiency: anaemia. However, B 12 is also necessary for nervous system function and its depletion can lead to dysfunction of the posterior columns of the spinal cord resulting in subacute combined degeneration (SCD). This disease, while debilitating in its acute phase, can usually be mostly if not fully reversed if caught early and treated appropriately. Early detection can prove challenging if there are no haematological manifestations of B 12 deficiency and the only guidance is the high index of suspicion. We present a case of pernicious anaemia leading to SCD without any clinical or laboratory findings of anaemia in this report.