Macrocytic anemia causes

Ed Reschke / Getty Images What Are the Symptoms of Macrocytosis? Generally, macrocytosis is associated with anemia (macrocytic anemia), which is diminished RBC count. The condition causes a decrease in oxygen delivered to the body’s tissues. Usually, the symptoms are mild to moderate, but sometimes the effects can be severe. • Diarrhea, which can be a sign of malabsorption, can make you deficient in vitamin B12 and other nutrients • Enlarged tongue (glossitis) can develop due to vitamin B12 deficiency • Peripheral neuropathy causes numbness of the fingers and toes and can result from a vitamin B12 deficiency or alcoholism • Weakness can develop from an iron deficiency • Bruising or bleeding can occur due to leukemia, cancer of the blood and bone marrow • Enlarged abdomen due to splenomegaly (enlarged • • Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) measures the average size of the RBCs, which is usually greater than 100 femtoliter (fL) in macrocytosis • Red cell distribution width (RDW) measures the variation in size of the RBCs; a normal range for RDW is 11.8%–14.6%, and it is expected to be high in macrocytosis due to the variation in RBC size How Is Macrocytosis Treated? The treatment of macrocytosis centers on correcting the cause when possible. Oftentimes, vitamin B12 and/or folate supplementation will correct the problem. If you cannot absorb vitamin B12 adequately due to gastrointestinal issues, you may need to get B12 injections rather than taking a supplement by mouth. • Chiang ...