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CASE REPORT article
Front. Hematol.
Sec. Red Cells, Iron and Erythropoiesis
Volume 3 - 2024 |
doi: 10.3389/frhem.2024.1446241
Vitamin B12 Deficiency-Associated Hemolytic Anemia: Case Series
Provisionally accepted- 1 Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, Baltimore, United States
- 2 Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
- 3 Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India
- 4 University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States
- 5 George Washington University, Washington, D.C., District of Columbia, United States
Vitamin B12 deficiency is commonly known to cause hematological, neurological, and gastrointestinal disturbances including anemia, pancytopenia, sub-acute combined degeneration, and glossitis, among others. Hemolytic anemia is a rare but possible presentation of vitamin B12 deficiency.We present a case series of three elderly females with different past medical histories but with similar presentations of severe anemia. Initial investigation revealed pancytopenia and hemolytic anemia. Further evaluation indicated vitamin B12 deficiency and subsequently, pernicious anemia, as confirmed by low serum vitamin B12 levels and positive intrinsic cell antibody respectively. These findings directed the diagnosis toward vitamin B12 deficiency-induced hemolytic anemia, a rare clinical entity. All three patients responded to treatment with intramuscular vitamin B12 injections, showing significant improvement in their pancytopenia and hemolytic anemia. This case series highlight the importance of considering vitamin B12 deficiency as a potential cause of hemolytic anemia in patients presenting with pancytopenia and ineffective hematopoiesis.Further research is necessary to illuminate the therapeutic implications of this rare condition.
Keywords: vitamin B12 deficiency, Hemolysis, Anemia, Pancytopenia, hemolytic anemia, intramedullary hemolysis
Received: 09 Jun 2024; Accepted: 18 Nov 2024.
Copyright: © 2024 Sainatham, Dy, Kaushik, Tallapalli, Patel, Jindal and Paul. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Chiranjeevi Sainatham, Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, Baltimore, United States
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