What is pernicious anemian?

[zakky]

What are the symptoms of pernicious anemia and what is the the long term prognosis, if I am taking my B12 shots monthly?

[pwilson2]

Can pernicious anemia cause a severe personality change?  My daughter has this and is not good about taking her injections.  Over the past several weeks she has become a different person and is acting totally strange and out of character....she has wrecked her marriage.  Help!

[judykaren]

I have a question for you. Ive had bloods done to test my .levels, and the dr has told me that she will not give me any injections because my level is normal. However, I have all the classic symptoms of perniceous anemia, and want to take this further. She told me its toxic if I have injections now. Is this true? Is vitamin B12 toxic?...the tingling in my feet is getting worse, its going up my legs, I have it also in my hands and up the right side of my lower jaw, and neck at night.
I really do need some sort of info to help me determine whether to take this any further.
I am g rateful for any information that you can give me.
I dont have the levels on hand. If this is essential, perhaps I could get the levels from the dr. ...but, as I say, I dont have the levels now....

[Pepperliveson]

Pernicious anemia is a type of anemia due to the inability of your intestine to absorb sufficient vitamin B12.  Your intestinal cells make a protein known as intrinsic factor (IF) that mediates the absorption of B12 by your intestine.  When the production of IF is decreased, sometimes by autoimmune destruction and sometimes by other mechanisms, your intestinal cells cannot absorb B12.  This leads to a type of anemia known as megaloblastic anemia because B12 is required for red cell production.  If you take B12 in a shot (intramuscularly) and you are good about taking your shots, your life span is not shortened by pernicious anemia.