In general, increases in Hb [A.sub.2] due to NRTI (or
megaloblastic anemia) are less than that seen in beta thalassemia trait.
Other conditions causing pancytopenia 9 (19.6%), included two cases of
megaloblastic anemia and one each of myelodysplastic syndrome, aplastic anemia, systemic lupus erythematosus, Rosai-Dorfman syndrome, malaria, toxoplasmosis, and sickle cell anemia.
Acute leukemia was the commonest finding 32.2%, followed by aplastic anemia 30.8%,
megaloblastic anemia 13.2% and miscellaneous findings.1 In another retrospective descriptive study 205 patients age between 6 months and 14 years were identified with diagnosis of pancytopenia.
There was no laboratory evidence of
megaloblastic anemia.
It is associated with
megaloblastic anemia and peripheral neuropathy.
The presence of
megaloblastic anemia is a nonspecific and insensitive reflection of vitamin B12 status [58, 59].
Other rare manifestations include mesenteric venous insufficiency due to pressure from enlarged sarcoid lymphadenopathy,
megaloblastic anemia caused by terminal ilium infiltration, and protein-losing enteropathy [3-6].
The classic hematological finding in pernicious anemia consists of
megaloblastic anemia, characterized by macrocytosis and hypersegmented neutrophils on peripheral smear [2628].
The bone marrow was hypercellular and was supporting the diagnosis of
megaloblastic anemia. T2 weighted MRI in both axial and sagittal views of the spine shows long segment of abnormal high signal involving the posterior aspect of the cervical cord extending from C1 to C5 (Figure 2).
Abdominal USG, cranial and spinal MRIs were normal and blood smear findings were consistent with
megaloblastic anemia. The vitamin B12 deficiency was attributed to chronic alcohol consumption and the patient was diagnosed as SCD due to chronic alcohol consumption and vitamin B12 replacement treatment was initiated.
Elliptocytes are also seen in iron deficiency, myelodysplasia,
megaloblastic anemia and thalassemias.
Results: Out of 157 patients, 30 patients (19.1%) had leukemia, 26 (16.6%) had
megaloblastic anemia, ITP was present in 26 patients (16.6%), 18 patients (11.5%) showed normal bone marrow, 17 patients (10.8%) had evidence of hemolytic anemia, aplastic anemia was present in 9 patients (5.7%), iron deficiency anemia was seen in 9 patients (5.7%), anemia of chronic disorder was present in 08 patients (5.1%), hypersplenism was present in 05 patients (3.2%), metastatic lesions, PNH and visceral leishmaniasis was present in 2 patients (1.3%) each.
megaloblastic anemia - anemia characterized by many large immature and dysfunctional red blood cells (megaloblasts) in the bone marrow; associated with pernicious anemia