Department of Physiological Sciences

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Browsing Department of Physiological Sciences by Author "Abel, Stefan"

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    The physiological effect of vitamin B12 deficiency in human blood
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 1990-11) Abel, Stefan; Van Rijswijk, A. W.; Van Niekerk, C. H.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Medicine & Health Science. Dept. of Physiological Sciences .
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The main aim of this workpiece was to establish the physiological parameters against which a vitamin Bu deficiency could be measured. A comparison between the hematological values of healthy patients and those suffering from pernicious anemia due to vitamin Bu deficiency was done. A specific case of pernicious anemia was used in the comparison of abnormal values to the values of normal healthy patients. The comparison consisted of blood analyses with the help of specified instruments, photomicrographs of bone marrow and blood smears and statistical data. A Coulter Counter Model ZF was used for the hematological analyses of blood, a radio-isotope assay for serum vitamin B u was done and photomicrographs were taken with a NIKON Microflex camera with photomicrographic attachments. The importance of vitamin Bu has been shown in this workpiece. With the use of techniques and certain instruments, the effects of a shortage of vitamin Bu has been shown. Analyses of the blood from normal ,healthy patients was compared to that of patients suffering from pernicious anemia. It was demonstrated that pernicious anemia is characterized by a low erythrocyte count, hematocrit (Het), hemoglobin (Hb) and vitamin Bu levels together with a higher mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular volume (MCV). In severe cases of pernicious anemia these levels are extremely high or low as the case may be. Together with these values, the investigation of pernicious anemic blood and bone marrow smears revealed abnormally large erythrocyte precursors and fewer leucocytes than normal. Abnormally shaped cells, called macrocytes, were seen which was due to the disruption in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthesis caused by the vitamin Bu deficiency. This study produced a set of hematological reference values. The comparative study between healthy and pernicious anemic patients demonstrated a significant drop in serum vitamin B12 values during pernicious anemia. The hematological effect was illustrated by the Coulter Counter blood analysis results and the microscopic examination revealed the presence of megaloblastic erythrocytes, oval erythrocytes, pear-shaped poikilocytes and polymorphonuclear neutropbils with hypersegmented nuclei in blood smears I during vitamin B12 deficiency. This dianoses can be supported by the presence of megaloblasts and metamyelocytes in pernicious anemic bone marrow.