Masking of macrocytosis by alpha-thalassemia in blacks with pernicious anemia.

Abstract

Pernicious anemia appears to be more common in blacks than was formerly recognized, but some features of the disease appear to differ in blacks and whites. For example, among blacks there is an earlier age at onset, a greater frequency of serum antibodies to intrinsic factor, and a lower frequency of parietal-cell antibodies1 2 3 than have been described for whites with the disease.4 5 6 7 Furthermore, Solanki et al.2 noted an absence of macrocytosis (mean cell volume <100 fl) in 15 of 36 black patients with pernicious anemia, and this absence was not always attributable to coexistent iron deficiency. In view of the . . .