pica and Folic-Acid-Deficiency

Topics: Body Weight; Deficiency Diseases; Diet, Diabetic; Diet, Reducing; Edema; Female; Fetus; Folic Acid Deficiency; Humans; Infant Mortality; Infant, Newborn; Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Obesity; Physician-Patient Relations; Pica; Pre-Eclampsia; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications; Pregnancy in Diabetics

We describe a Black female who has suffered for many years from an (often) severe anemia (Hb 5-9 g/dl) with iron deficiency (serum Fe 8 microg/dl; TIBC 462 microg/dl; ferritin 7 ng/ml or less) and folate deficiency. The patient had hypermenorrhea which was appropriately treated resulting in an increase in hemoglobin level but not affecting the Fe deficiency. Splenomegaly was present, perhaps resulting from a clay-eating habit, although this was consistently denied. The patient had an alpha-thalassemia-2 (-3.7 kb) trait and a deletional hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin (HPFH) (type II) which were inherited from her father. Over the last six years the level of Hb F varied between 8.5 and 16% (25-29% in the father), while the G gamma value was also low (15-22% versus 32-34% in the father). Comparable reductions were seen in the relative levels of gamma-mRNA and G gamma-mRNA. These data support results published by Adams et al who showed a severe reduction in Hb F level in another HPFH heterozygote with Fe deficiency; these investigations suggested that a reduction in alpha-globin synthesis resulted in preferential formation of alpha beta dimers rather than alpha gamma dimers. Our data suggest that the decrease of Hb F and G gamma levels is due to a reduction in gamma-mRNA formation, mainly of the G gamma type, rather than through a posttranslational mechanism alone.

Topics: Adult; alpha-Thalassemia; Anemia, Iron-Deficiency; Female; Fetal Hemoglobin; Folic Acid Deficiency; Gene Deletion; Genetic Carrier Screening; Globins; Humans; Pica; RNA, Messenger

The authors report five, mortal, vasculo-cerebral hemorrhage complications in anaemic and geographic patients. The five observations are stereotyped, the accidents occurring two weeks after the start of treatment, which included a complete blood transfusion and the admission of injectable iron and oral folic acid. Physiopathogenesis is obscure, and no identical case seems to be described in literature. The authors link these accidents to less serious neurological manifestations normally observed during iron-deficient anaemia. They blame cerebral anoxia and the deficient terrain.

Topics: Adolescent; Anemia, Hypochromic; Anemia, Macrocytic; Blood Transfusion; Brain Ischemia; Cerebral Hemorrhage; Child; Female; Folic Acid; Folic Acid Deficiency; Humans; Iron; Iron Deficiencies; Male; Nutrition Disorders; Pica; Pseudotumor Cerebri; Retrospective Studies; Senegal; Syndrome

Topics: Administration, Oral; Anemia, Hypochromic; Anemia, Macrocytic; Blood Transfusion; Female; Folic Acid; Folic Acid Deficiency; Hematocrit; Humans; Injections, Intramuscular; Iron; Kidney Diseases; Pica; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications, Hematologic

Topics: Anemia; Female; Folic Acid; Folic Acid Deficiency; Hematocrit; Hemoglobins; Humans; Iron; Pica; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications, Hematologic

Topics: Administration, Oral; Anemia, Hypochromic; Anemia, Sickle Cell; Diet; Female; Folic Acid Deficiency; Humans; Iron; Pica; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications, Hematologic