Anemia and hematinic deficiencies in gastric parietal cell antibody-positive and -negative oral mucosal disease patients with microcytosis.
OBJECTIVE
Microcytosis is defined as mean corpuscular volume (MCV) < 80 fL. This study assessed the anemia statuses and hematinic deficiencies in 30 patients with gastric parietal cell antibody-positive microcytosis (GPCA+/microcytosis) and 210 patients with GPCA-negative microcytosis (GPCA-/microcytosis).


METHODS
We measured and compared the mean red blood cell (RBC) count, MCV, and RBC distribution width (RDW), as well as blood levels of hemoglobin, iron, vitamin B12, folic acid, and homocysteine among the aforementioned patient groups and 240 healthy controls.


RESULTS
Compared with GPCA-/microcytosis, the positive counterparts presented with a lower mean serum vitamin B12 level (marginal significance), significantly higher mean RDW and serum homocysteine level, and significantly greater frequencies of vitamin B12 deficiency and high homocysteine level. GPCA-/microcytosis patients had significantly greater frequencies of hemoglobin, iron, vitamin B12, and folic acid deficiencies and of RBC count > 5 × 1012/L than healthy controls. Moreover, 19 of 30 GPCA+/microcytosis patients and 143 of 210 GPCA-/microcytosis patients had anemia, with iron deficiency anemia being the most common type, followed by thalassemia trait-induced anemia and microcytic anemia due to other causes.


CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that GPCA in microcytosis patients' sera may have caused significantly lower mean vitamin B12 level as well as significantly higher mean RDW and serum homocysteine level in our GPCA+/microcytosis patients than in GPCA-/microcytosis patients. Herein, iron deficiency anemia was the most common type of anemia in anemic GPCA+/microcytosis and GPCA-/microcytosis patients.
Department of Dentistry, MacKay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; School of Dentistry and Graduate Institute of Dental Sciences, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan; School of Dentistry, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; School of Dentistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Hung-Pin
HP
Lin
Graduate Institute of Clinical Dentistry, School of Dentistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Dentistry, National Taiwan University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Yu-Hsueh
YH
Wu
School of Dentistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Clinical Dentistry, School of Dentistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Dentistry, National Taiwan University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Oral Biology, School of Dentistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Yi-Ping
YP
Wang
Graduate Institute of Clinical Dentistry, School of Dentistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Dentistry, National Taiwan University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Yang-Che
YC
Wu
School of Dentistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Clinical Dentistry, School of Dentistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Dentistry, National Taiwan University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Oral Biology, School of Dentistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Julia
J
Yu-Fong Chang
School of Dentistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Dentistry, National Taiwan University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address: andysun7702@yahoo.com.tw.
Andy
A
Sun
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000740:Anemia / Q000209:etiology*; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D004906:Erythrocyte Count; D004909:Erythrocyte Indices; D005260:Female; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000097:blood*; D009061:Mouth Mucosa; D010295:Parietal Cells, Gastric / Q000276:immunology*; D014805:Vitamin B 12 / Q000097:blood
D001323:Autoantibodies; D006710:Homocysteine; D014805:Vitamin B 12
anemia; gastric parietal cell antibody; homocysteine; iron; thalassemia trait; vitamin B12