Megaloblastic Anaemia Signs & Symptoms

Megaloblastic Anaemia: Signs & Symptoms

• Megaloblastic anaemia is associated with ineffective erythropoiesis, abnormal DNA synthesis and cell cycling, and deranged myelin synthesis.
• Common symptoms include lethargy, weakness, yellow or waxy pallor, glossitis (beefy red tongue or smooth pale tongue), loss of appetite, and weight loss.
• Neurological symptoms, specifically associated with cobalamin deficiency, include peripheral neuropathy and cognitive impairment/decline.
• Cobalamin deficiency can manifest as symmetrical distal sensory symptoms, starting in the feet and progressing to the hands.
• Other cobalamin deficiency symptoms include diminished vibration sense, impaired proprioception (in the legs), impaired distal cutaneous sensation, and altered/absent limb reflexes.
• Lateral column involvement in cobalamin deficiency can lead to spastic paraparesis and autonomic issues like bladder, bowel, or sexual dysfunction.
• Subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord is a serious neurologic consequence of cobalamin deficiency, involving the spinal cord white matter and causing degeneration of conscious and unconscious proprioception, and further affecting control of skilled movement.
• Early stages of megaloblastic anaemia are often treatable but progressive neurodegeneration can be problematic and irreversible if not properly diagnosed and managed promptly.