Requesting blood tests

[Padeficiant12]

Im trying to find out of pernicious anemia is the cause of my b12, would requesting to have tests done at the doctors be of use? Im thinking of asking for MMA and homocysteine , are they both blood tests ? And if levels are high on these would that indicate pernicious anemia ?

Thankyou

[clivealive Forum Support]

Hi Padeficiant12 to determine if you have Pernicious Anaemia you need to be tested for "Intrinsic Factor Antibodies" (IFA).

Sadly the IFA test is unreliable in that it gives false negatives in people with PA half the time. So a negative result doesn't mean that you don't have PA. However, a positive result is a sure-fire, 95% certain indicator of PA.

The new BCSH guidelines say: “Plasma tHcy and/or plasma MMA, depending on availability, may be considered as supplementary tests to determine biochemical cobamalin deficiency in the presence of clinical suspicion of deficiency but an indeterminate serum cobamalin level”.

southtees.nhs.uk/services/p...

I am not a medically trained person but I've had Pernicious Anaemia (a form of B12 deficiency) for more than 46 years.

I wish you well.

[Padeficiant12 in reply to clivealive]

Thankyou, im just thinking of asking my doctor to do the tests, i did think of IFA but know that this is quite unreliable , i read that MMA and Homocysteine would be raised and that would be a fairly reliable indicator of pernicious anemia.

[fbirder in reply to Padeficiant12]

Raised MMA and hCys would be indicators of a possible B12 deficiency. But they wouldn't help identify the cause. Anything that causes a deficiency would result in raised levels. So you couldn't say for sure it was PA.

Apart from the IF antibody test you could ask for an endoscopy. That should pick up if you have metaplastic gastric atrophy - the underlying cause of PA.

[Padeficiant12 in reply to fbirder]

Thankyou fbirder