American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 24, 622-627, Copyright © 1971 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc.

Intestinal structure and function in megaloblastic anemia in adults

¹ From the Haematology Laboratory, Department of Pathology, and the Department of Medicine, All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi 16, India

Thirty-six adult patients with nutritional macrocytic anemia were studied with respect to functional and structural changes in the small intestine. Deficiency of vitamin B₁₂ seen in 27 patients (75%) has been considered of nutritional origin. However, its malabsorption seen in nine patients (27%) would be a contributory factor. It has been suggested that there is an important role of vitamin B₁₂ deficiency alone and together with protein deficiency in inducing the intestinal malabsorption or aggravating it. Protein deficiency also was found to be a major factor in the pathogenesis of jejunal villous atrophy where vitamin B₁₂ and folic acid deficiency probably were contributory factors.