Mucosa of the small intestine in pernicious anemia.

Abstract

THE macrocytosis and megaloblastosis consistently seen in the peripheral blood and the bone marrow of patients with severe vitamin B12 deficiency may involve epithelial cells as well. Both cytoplasmic enlargement and nuclear enlargement have been documented in squamous epithelial cells from the oral, esophageal and vaginal mucosa1 , 2 and in columnar epithelial cells from the gastric mucosa1 2 3 in patients with untreated pernicious anemia. However, it has not been established whether the morphology of the mucosa of the small intestine is abnormal in vitamin B12 deficiency not associated with primary disease of the small intestine. Patchy, nonspecific changes in the . . .