title: [Macrocytosis without anaemia in an urban population].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Observational study on a group of patients with macrocytosis without anaemia. The probable relationship of cause and effect between Helicobacter pylori and macrocytosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  An observational and cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  The measured variables were: personal data, medical and analytical history in relation to macrocytosis, alcohol and smoking habits and drug use. This information was taken from the medical history of the patient.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of macrocytosis without anaemia was 7.12%. The main cause found was hypothyroidism in 37/234 (15.8%) patients, followed by alcoholism in 34/234 (14.5%) patients. The most frequent association was alcohol and tobacco in 9/234 (3.8%) patients. It was not possible to find a cause of the increased mean corpuscular volume (MCV) in 87/234 (37.18%) patients. Out of 37 tests conducted for Helicobacter pylori, 23 of them were positive.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Macrocytosis without anaemia has a high prevalence. Finding the most frequent causes could help in the early diagnosis and treatment. H. pylori currently appears to be associated to different digestive tract and non-digestive tract diseases.It could be a cause of increased MCV, but this study was unable demonstrate this.
authors.affiliation: Medicina Familiar y Comunitaria, Área 2, Madrid, Spain. pdruizdeleon@yahoo.es
authors.forename: Paloma
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Domínguez Ruiz de León
authors.forename: Victoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Morcillo Cebolla
authors.forename: Blanca
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gutiérrez Parres
authors.forename: Francisco Javier
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Cirujano Pita
authors.forename: Elvira
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Díaz de Tuesta Díaz de Lezama
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mazorra Benito
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000740:Anemia; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004913:Erythrocytes, Abnormal; D005260:Female; D006402:Hematologic Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014505:Urban Population; D055815:Young Adult