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Megaloblastic anemia of pregnancy in Venezuela

1958; Elsevier BV; Volume: 76; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/0002-9378(58)90028-0

1097-6868

O Agüero, Miguel Layrisse,

Iron Metabolism and Disorders

Twenty cases of megaloblastic anemia of pregnancy were seen at the Service No. 3, Maternidad Concepcion Palacios, Caracas. Marked pallor, fever, diarrhea, and edema were the symptoms frequently observed. The blood smear showed macrocytosis as well as microcytosis and hypochromia. The M.C.V. ranged from 85 to 110 in 11 cases and above 110 in 9 cases. The M.C.H.C. was higher than 32 per cent in only 8 cases. In 3 out of 4 cases the serum B12 concentration was normal and the 24 hour urinary excretion of B12 marked with Co60 after an oral dose of 0.48 microcurie of B12Co60 showed values from 11 to 19 per cent. The literature on the incidence of megaloblastic anemia is reviewed. The incidence presented in this communication (4 out of 100 cases of anemia) is the highest so far reported.