title: Pernicious anemia in Chinese: a study of 181 patients in a Hong Kong hospital.
abstract: To study the clinical and hematologic features of pernicious anemia in Chinese, we describe 181 Chinese with megaloblastic anemia and low serum cobalamin, in association with either classic Schilling test results (82 patients) or the presence of serum antibody to intrinsic factor (99 patients), encountered in a regional hospital in Hong Kong from May 1994 to May 2005. The median age was 75 years (range, 32-95 yr) and the male to female ratio was 1:1.5. The chief presenting feature was anemia, and fewer than 10% of patients presented predominantly with neurologic deficit. Gastric biopsies of 109 patients showed glandular atrophy in 73, endocrine cell hyperplasia in 5, polyps in 14, adenocarcinoma in 1, and chronic gastritis in the rest. Gastric adenocarcinoma occurred in 1.7% of patients after a median follow-up of 35 months (range, 0.5-132 mo). Diabetes mellitus occurred in 24% of patients and thyroid disease in 7%. No specific ABO blood group was associated with pernicious anemia. Serum antibody to intrinsic factor (73%) occurred more frequently than serum antibody to gastric parietal cell (65%) (p=0.353). The frequency of serum antibody to gastric parietal cell was higher in male (78%) than in female patients (53%) (p=0.018). Pernicious anemia is a major cause of megaloblastic anemia in Chinese.
authors.forename: Joyce Chee Wun
authors.initials: JCW
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Herman Sung Yu
authors.initials: HSY
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Bonnie Chi Sang
authors.initials: BCS
authors.lastname: Kho
authors.forename: Joycelyn Pui Yin
authors.initials: JPY
authors.lastname: Sim
authors.forename: Thomas Kwan Hang
authors.initials: TKH
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.forename: Yiu Wing
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Luk
authors.forename: Raymond Wan
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: Florence Man Fung
authors.initials: FMF
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.forename: Frankie Pak Tat
authors.initials: FPT
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Edmond Shiu Kwan
authors.initials: ESK
authors.lastname: Ma
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000752:Anemia, Pernicious / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D044466:Asian People; D005260:Female; D015200:Fluoroimmunoassay; D006723:Hong Kong / Q000453:epidemiology; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007437:Intrinsic Factor / Q000097:blood / Q000172:deficiency; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010295:Parietal Cells, Gastric / Q000276:immunology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012546:Schilling Test; D012698:Serologic Tests; D014805:Vitamin B 12 / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D007437:Intrinsic Factor; D014805:Vitamin B 12