Diagnosis of Anemia of Vitamin B12 Deficiency
How does the doctor diagnose the anemia of vitamin B12 deficiency?
- The best tool for diagnosing anemia, regardless of whether the doctor is able to identify the classic signs of it, is a blood test CBC Elemental (analysis of the amount of hemoglobin count and classification of all blood cells ). Anemia is diagnosed when hemoglobin falls below 12 g/dl in women and 13g/dl in man. In B12 deficiency is also common to observe a mean corpuscular volume of red blood cells (which estimates the size of red blood cells) increased in the analysis, and the decrease in white blood cells (leukocytes) and platelets (thrombocytopenia) .
- It will be necessary by the physician requesting the study of blood under a microscope. In doing so, we will find fewer red blood cells and some macrocytes (red bulky) and a decrease in white blood cells, low platelets and aging (polisegmentación the nucleus) of a type of white blood cells (neutrophils).
- Will need to also check vitamin B12 levels in the blood, which usually are well below normal.
- It may be also an increase of certain substances in the blood such as LDH and bilirubin.
- Finally, it is often necessary to make a microscopic study of the patient’s bone marrow by extracting a blood sample from the inside bone of the chest such as the sternum or hip to confirm definitively diagnose deficiency anemia of vitamin B12.
With regard to the specific diagnosis of the cause and there are other more complex tests, with which the doctor may investigate the source of the problem and confirm or rule so concerned or not, of pernicious anemia.
credit to: Dr. Alfonso José Santiago Marí, Dr. Flemming Andersen, Dr. Patrick Davey, Dra. Rachel Green