Nutritional disorders: Pernicious anaemia.

Pernicious anaemia is a type of condition caused by less amount of vitamin B12 in the whole body. It is a form of vitamin B12 deficiency anaemia. Vitamin B12 helps our body to make healthy red blood cells & helps keep nerve cells in healthy condition. It is found in animal foods such as meat, eggs, fish, milk, and other dairy products. The common cause of pernicious anaemia is the lack of stomach cells which are used to make intrinsic factor. Intrinsic factor helps the body to absorb vitamin B12 in the intestine. The absence of parietal cells may be due to destruction by the body's own immune system. Pernicious anaemia can cause permanent damage to nerves & other organs if it goes on for a long time without being treated. It also raises the risk for developing stomach cancer. Complications caused by untreated pernicious anaemia may be reversible with treatment. A special protein, called intrinsic factor (IF), binds vitamin B12 so that it can be absorbed in the intestines. This protein is released by cells in the stomach. When the stomach does not make enough intrinsic factor, the intestine cannot properly absorb vitamin B12.