PATHOGENESIS OF MEGALOBLASTIC ANEMIA IN INFANCY

Abstract

MEGALOBLASTIC infants and children has been recognized in much the same circumstances as in adults. Pernicious anemia is exceedingly rare but has been reported as beginning even in infancy.¹Megaloblastic anemia has occasionally been found in association with steatorrhea²and other disorders interfering with the ingestion, absorption or utilization of essential nutrients.³These types of megaloblastic anemia are uncommon and occur throughout the period of infancy and childhood. It has become evident that there is a form of megaloblastic anemia which is commoner and occurs predominantly in the first year of life. Although the existence of megaloblastic anemia in infants was verified by bone marrow biopsy at least as early as 1940 by Veeneklaas,⁴the prevalence of this type of anemia in infancy was not fully appreciated until 1946, when the very complete descriptions by Zuelzer and Ogden⁵in America and Amato⁶in Italy