Neuroanemic Syndrome in elder people. Report of a case

Abstract

We present the case of a 70-years-old patient entering our service presenting symptoms of cramps sensation in the lower limbs and disturbances for motion stability, presenting also low values of hemoglobin, resulting in a megaloblastic anemia after a study. This disease is the expression of a maturing disturbance of the erythroid and myeloid precursors, leading to an inefficacious hematopoiesis most frequently caused by vitamin B12 and/or folic acid deficiency. The deficiency of vitamin B12 affects the nervous system, and although its symptoms are clear (crawling in feet and hands), elder people associate them with the proper aging and lack of mobility, making difficult its opportune identification. In many occasions the diagnosis is made when neurological and mental affectations (confusion, depression, and deficient intellectual function) are evident. The deterioration then is irreversible and ended in irreversible dementia and axonal damage. The relevance of this case is based on the infrequentness of the clinical form this entity expresses in our settings.