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Letters

Macrocytic anaemias

BMJ 1997; 314 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.314.7093.1552 (Published 24 May 1997) Cite this as: BMJ 1997;314:1552
  1. Roger Barton, Readera
  1. a Department of Medicine, North Tyneside General Hospital, North Shields NE29 8NH
  2. b Royal Free Hospital, London NW3 2QG
  3. c Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust, Southampton SO9 4XY

    Three fifths of patients with Crohn's disease that has not been operated on have vitamin B12 malabsorption

    Editor—In their article on macrocytic anaemias Victor Hoffbrand and Drew Provan mention rare inherited defects of DNA synthesis and benign familial macrocytosis as causes of macrocytosis,1 yet they fail to discuss an important cause of malabsorption of vitamin B12–namely, Crohn's disease. It has been estimated that up to three fifths of patients with Crohn's disease that has not been operated on (even those with localised ileal disease or a radiologically normal ileum) …

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