Links between pernicious anaemia and kidney function?

[LizzieRb12]

Hi all,

I have pernicious anaemia which is treated with 12 weekly injections...

I've recently had some blood tests as part of a pre op as I'm having a total thyroidectomy next month. The results flagged up that my kidneys were out of "normal range" (low egfr & urea, and high creatinine)

My creatinine has been quite high for a few years and is checked every year, but this is the first time my urea and egfr have dropped.

my GP ordered a urine sample. They did a dip test at the surgery which showed the presence of blood and protein, so they've sent the sample off to the lab for analysis, which could take up to 10 days. I don't have any classic UTI, cystitis etc symptoms, and not showing any signs of infection in my blood tests, and I feel "normal". By normal I mean my normal fatigue, lack of concentration, insomnia etc... although I am feeling a little more tired than normal but wonder if that could be due to the seasonal change.

My question is, does anyone know of any links between pernicious anaemia and kidney problems?

I'm getting a little worried that there's something wrong. An uncle of mine recently had a kidney removed although I'm not sure why so I'll have to find that out.

[deniseinmilden]

I have heard of a couple of people who have PA and CKD (one is diabetic too, poor soul) but there are thousands of us who don't have any symptomatic kidney problems.

The only paper that I can find on it is

jamanetwork.com/journals/ja...

Which suggests that there may be some of us with a degree of kidney damage as an indirect result of PA, as well as those with a specific link.

I would suggest that this would support the use of higher frequency injections to guard against these potential issues, with a treatment that is known to be extremely safe.

I'm very sorry that you need to have the total thyroidectomy - that's more than enough on its own without PA or potential CKD, isn't it! I hope that you are getting all the support you need.

Are you a member of the excellent ThyroidUK group on here?

helvella and his fellow contributors are extremely knowledgeable and kind and will be able to guide you in getting your meds optimally balanced.

Wishing you the best of luck and sending you lots of strength to get you through.

[Gambit62 Administrator]

I don't know of any direct links between kidney disease and PA. Creatinine being very elevated along with MMA being very elevated is an indicator of B12 deficiency at the cell level but its usually many times normal range and the ratio between the two stays in range. That wouldn't affect the other measures though.

I hope that you manage to get to the bottom of what is happening.

You may want to search for forums that deal with kidney problems to see what support they can offer.

[Taichi01]

Hi there, I don’t know of links between PA and kidney disease, though understand there are links between thyroid disorders and kidney disease… I have both PA and a thyroid disorder and have been diagnosed with impaired kidney function…Hope that helps…

[041051]

I'm not sure of any links but I have thyroid, PA and kidney problems.

[MariLiz]

I’ve got PA and thyroid problems and my last blood test did show a possibility of CKD. The first time it’s ever shown a problem. I did hope the GP might have ordered a urine test , on the basis of this result? I’ve heard nothing from them, they only seem to be doing telephone appointments. It took me over an hour of hanging on the phone, to get the most recent phone consultation. That was for an allergic reaction to an antibiotic. MariLiz

[Liz061254]

Hi Lizzie I understand your concerns as I’m like you with Pernicious Anaemia and kidney function problems my eGFR is Low <50 and my creatinine is a high 101 on my last bloods done for my Pernicious Anaemia but the GP hasn’t said anything but on googling myself on the subject of eGFR And to read it means stage 3 chronic kidney disease is a scary read. I’m going to try and get a face to face proper appointment with my surgery as I like you feel I need answers and an explanation. Good luck Lizzie I hope you stay well. x

[Wolfling in reply to Liz061254]

Hello Liz, I have just found myself in a similar situation. I have PA & have been SI with methylcobalamin for the past 5 years. I know B12 is water-soluable, supposedly you can’t OD, etc. but I’ve often wondered if the high doses I take could tax my kidneys & liver so I usually ask for a metabolic panel. It has always come back normal, but my most recent one came back with a GFR in the low 50’s and elevated Creatinine. I’m going to be retested next month, but I was just curious to hear what you discovered about your situation? Thank you. Hope you are well! x