pa and amenia

[Ela1]

Hallo

I have PA and ordinary anemia and wonder how those two are related.

Anyone has got the same problem?

Regards

Ela

[clivealive Forum Support]

Hi Ela1 yes I too have the same "problem" having had P.A. and iron deficiency for 46 years following a partial gastrectomy back in 1959.

I'm not a medically trained person but in my case I think it's down to my stomach's inability to absorb vitamins and nutrients.

Do you know what your Folate level is?

[spacey1]

Hi

I have both too, and like clivealive, I think mine is down to poor absorption because I have to constantly 'top up' in spite of a good diet

[Gambit62 Administrator]

do you know what type of anaemia you have - microcytic anaemia is when your red blood cells are smaller than they should be and this happens because your iron is low. PA is generally associated with macrocytic anaemia in which your red blood cells are larger and rounder than they should be.

PA is a problem that primarily affects your ability to absorb B12 but this absorption problem can also affect other vitamins and minerals - including folate and iron - so it isn't uncommon for people with PA to also have problems with iron.

[Ela1]

What my doctor told me is that I have both..

[bquoss]

Ela1, I had to take iron injections for a year, and the iron anemia "masked" PA during that time, delaying the PA diagnosis. So it's good your doctor has diagnosed both problems together. PA seems to cause problems absorbing other nutrients, like iron or vitamin D, maybe others. Don't forget folate (thank you, Clivealive).

[Wowo23 in reply to bquoss]

I have the same problem. Always low on D and iron. I can always tell the symptoms. Racing heartbeat, fatigue and chapped and peeling lips

[Wowo23]

Hi Ela 1. I have reg anemia as well. I have megoblastic anemia(large red blood cells) as well as low red blood count. I take iron pills everyday to help with symptoms