Megaloblastic anemia treatment

What is folate-deficiency anemia? Folate-deficiency anemia is the lack of folic acid in the blood. Folic acid is a B vitamin that helps your body make red blood cells. If you don’t have enough red blood cells, you have anemia. Red blood cells carry oxygen to all parts of your body. When you have anemia, your blood can’t bring enough oxygen to all your tissues and organs. Without enough oxygen, your body can’t work as well as it should. Low levels of folic acid can cause megaloblastic anemia. With this condition, red blood cells are larger than normal. There are fewer of these cells. They are also oval-shaped, not round. Sometimes these red blood cells don’t live as long as normal red blood cells. What causes folate-deficiency anemia? You can develop folate-deficiency anemia if: • You don’t eat enough foods that have folic acid. These include green leafy vegetables, fresh fruits, fortified cereals, yeast, and meats (including liver). • You drink too much alcohol • You have certain diseases of the lower digestive tract, such as celiac disease. This type of anemia also occurs in people with cancer. • You take certain medicines, such as some used for seizures. • You are pregnant. This is because the developing baby needs more folic acid. Also, the mother absorbs it more slowly. A lack of folate during pregnancy is linked to major birth defects that affect the brain, spinal cord, and spine (neural tube defects). Some babies are born unable to absorb folic acid. This can lead to...

What is vitamin B12 deficiency anemia? Vitamin B 12 deficiency anemia is a condition in which your body does not have enough healthy red blood cells, due to a lack (deficiency) of vitamin B 12. This vitamin is needed to make red blood cells, which carry oxygen to all parts of your body. Without enough red blood cells, your tissues and organs don’t get enough oxygen. Without enough oxygen, your body can’t work as well. Folic acid, also called folate, is another B vitamin. Anemias caused by a lack of vitamin B 12 or a lack of folate are 2 types of megaloblastic anemia. With these types of anemia, the red blood cells don’t develop normally. They are very large. And they are shaped like an oval, not round like healthy red blood cells. This causes the bone marrow to make fewer red blood cells. In some cases the red blood cells die sooner than normal. What causes vitamin B12 deficiency anemia? Vitamin B 12 deficiencyanemia is more common in people whose families come from northern Europe. It is caused by one of the following: • Lack of intrinsic factor. Intrinsic factor is a protein made in the stomach. It is needed to absorb vitamin B 12. This type of B 12 deficiency anemia is called pernicious anemia. • Surgery that removes or bypasses the end of the small intestine. This part of the small intestine is where vitamin B 12 is absorbed. The inability to make intrinsic factor may be caused by several things, such as: • Chronic gastritis • Surgery to remove all or part of the stoma...

Megaloblastic anemia is a blood disorder in which your body has large, underdeveloped red blood cells. Low folic acid or vitamin B12 levels can cause megaloblastic anemia. Doctors typically diagnose it with a blood test and recommend a supplement schedule to help reduce the symptoms. Keep reading to learn more about megaloblastic anemia. What can cause megaloblastic anemia? Folic acid or vitamin B12 deficiency can cause megaloblastic anemia. Folic acid is present in fruits, green vegetables, and meat. Spinach, asparagus, broccoli, peanuts, and sunflower seeds are all sources of folic acid. Sometimes, you may not be eating enough foods containing folic acid. Other times, your body may need more folic acid than it usually does. Some • alcohol use disorder • • Crohn’s disease • • small bowel resection Animal products, including seafood, beef, chicken, eggs, and dairy, are the Trusted Source PubMed Central Highly respected database from the National Institutes of Health Trusted Source PubMed Central Highly respected database from the National Institutes of Health Pernicious anemia is an autoimmune disorder that prevents your body from absorbing vitamin B12 properly. If you have undergone a Medications Some medications can limit the amount of vitamin B12 or folic acid your body absorbs. You can become deficient even if you have a diet rich in these vitamins because your body will not process them correctly. Some of these medications Trusted Source PubMed Central Highly respecte...

Megaloblastic anemia What every physician needs to know about megaloblastic anemia? Megaloblastic anemias arise from a common defect in DNA synthesis that leads to a distinctive morphological pattern within rapidly proliferating cells within the bone marrow. While commonly induced by anti-cancer or anti-viral drugs, megaloblastic anemia has been traditionally ascribed to a deficiency of either vitamin B12 (also known as cobalamin) or folate, which normally function as coenzymes for important reactions that lead to the synthesis of three of the four nucleotides of DNA. Since substantial DNA synthesis is required by rapidly dividing hematopoietic cells, when there is either folate or vitamin B12 deficiency, these cells are left in limbo with DNA values between 2N and 4N as they continue in vain, to double their DNA prior to cell division. Megaloblastic cells have a characteristic morphology consisting of an immature nucleus with finely particulate chromatin within a larger than normal cell, which has a cytoplasm that otherwise appears normal. This nuclear-cytoplasmic asynchrony is most obvious in orthochromatic (hemoglobinized) normoblasts, or giant myelocytes and metamyelocytes. Although there is profound ineffective erythropoiesis with intramedullary hemolysis, the presence of macroovalocytes and hypersegmented polymorphonuclear neutrophils in the peripheral smear are reliable clues that point back to a megaloblastic marrow. The recognition of megaloblastic anemia should b...

Megaloblastic anemia is a type of anemia characterized by very large red blood cells. In addition to the cells being large, the inner contents of each cell are not completely developed. This malformation causes the bone marrow to produce fewer cells, and sometimes the cells die earlier than the 120-day life expectancy. Instead of being round or disc-shaped, the red blood cells can be oval. Causes There are many causes of megaloblastic anemia, but the most common source in children occurs from a vitamin deficiency of folic acid or vitamin B-12. Other sources of megaloblastic anemia include the following: • Digestive diseases — Certain diseases of the lower digestive tract can lead to megaloblastic anemia. These include celiac disease, chronic infectious enteritis, and enteroenteric fistulas. Pernicious anemia is a type of megaloblastic anemia caused by an inability to absorb Vitamin B-12 due to a lack of intrinsic factor in gastric (stomach) secretions. Intrinsic factor enables the absorption of Vitamin B-12. • Malabsorption —Inherited congenital folate malabsorption, a genetic problem in which infants cannot absorb folic acid in their intestines, can lead to megaloblastic anemia. This requires early intensive treatment to prevent long-term problems such as intellectual disabilities. • Medication-induced folic acid deficiency —Certain medications, specifically ones that prevent seizures, such as phenytoin, primidone and phenobarbital, can impair the absorption of folic acid...

Folate deficiency anemia can occur when you don’t have enough vitamin B9 in your diet. This shortage affects red blood cell production and causes weakness and fatigue. It’s most often the result of not eating a balanced diet or having an underlying health condition. Treatment with a vitamin B9 supplement usually restores red blood cells and resolves symptoms. Overview What is folate deficiency anemia? In folate deficiency anemia, you have a lower than normal number of red blood cells and these cells are abnormally large. These differences lead to a reduced amount of oxygen circulating in your blood. Over time, having less oxygen in your blood can make you feel weak, tired or cold. Folate deficiency anemia results from not having enough folate (vitamin B9) in your body. How does folate deficiency anemia occur? Folate is a nutrient that’s essential for the development of healthy red blood cells. When your body doesn’t have enough folate, your bone marrow produces unusually large red blood cells called megaloblasts. Because megaloblasts are so large, they may not make it out of your bone marrow and into your bloodstream. Those that do enter your bloodstream usually don’t live as long as healthy red blood cells. Together, these factors decrease the number of red blood cells you have, causing What are the types of anemia? Anemia is a common condition that occurs due to a shortage of healthy red blood cells. There are many reasons why people develop anemia, including: • Abnormal...

Megaloblastic anemia is a condition that causes unusually large red blood cells. Red blood cells carry oxygen to the tissues and organs in the body. Abnormalities in the red blood cells interfere with oxygen delivery. This article explores megaloblastic anemia, including its symptoms, causes, and treatment. Share on Pinterest Science Photo Library/Getty Images Megaloblastic anemia is a blood condition that The red blood cells become misshapen and unusually large (megaloblasts), and the The hemoglobin in red blood cells carries oxygen to organs and tissues throughout the body. A person with megaloblastic anemia has fewer red blood cells that can carry oxygen to the organs and tissues. Megaloblastic anemia is only one form of A A deficiency in Less often, an inherited genetic condition that affects the body’s ability to absorb some vitamins can lead to megaloblastic anemia. For instance, congenital folate malabsorption syndrome occurs in some infants. Megaloblastic anemia can also occur as a side effect of certain medications that affect bone marrow function. What causes vitamin B12 deficiency? • • • Diet: Although the liver stores excess vitamin B12, someone who eats very few foods containing vitamin B12 can develop a deficiency over time. Healthcare professionals A medical history helps establish a person’s risk factors and symptoms. A physical exam may also help rule out other conditions. A doctor • • Peripheral blood smear: This involves looking under a microscope to see...