Vitamin-deficiency anaemia is classed as which morphologic type?

Vitamin-deficiency anaemia is classed as which morphologic type?

• A. Hypochromic
• B. Macrocytic
• C. Normocytic
• D. Microcytic

Answer: (B)

Vitamin-deficiency anaemia, especially from lack of B12 or folate, causes macrocytosis because impaired DNA synthesis in red cell precursors delays nuclear maturation while the cytoplasm grows, producing larger-than-normal red cells. This leads to an increased mean corpuscular volume (MCV), a hallmark of macrocytic anemia. In contrast, microcytic patterns (small cells) are typical of iron deficiency, and normocytic patterns appear in many other conditions. So the deficiency of these vitamins classically presents as macrocytic anemia due to enlarged red cells from megaloblastic changes.

Vitamin-deficiency anaemia, especially from lack of B12 or folate, causes macrocytosis because impaired DNA synthesis in red cell precursors delays nuclear maturation while the cytoplasm grows, producing larger-than-normal red cells. This leads to an increased mean corpuscular volume (MCV), a hallmark of macrocytic anemia. In contrast, microcytic patterns (small cells) are typical of iron deficiency, and normocytic patterns appear in many other conditions. So the deficiency of these vitamins classically presents as macrocytic anemia due to enlarged red cells from megaloblastic changes.