Prevalences of vitamin B12 deficiency, pernicious anemia, macrocytosis, and hyperhomocysteinemia in 532 serum gastric parietal cell antibody-positive oral mucosal disease patients.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Our previous studies found the serum gastric parietal cell antibody (GPCA) positivity in 12.3%-26.7% of atrophic glossitis (AG), burning mouth syndrome (BMS), and oral lichen planus (OLP) patients. This study assessed whether GPCA-positive oral mucosal disease (GPCA+OMD) patients (including 284 AG, 109 BMS, and 139 OLP patients) had significantly higher frequencies of microcytosis, macrocytosis, anemia, serum iron and vitamin B12 deficiencies, and hyperhomocysteinemia than healthy control subjects (HCSs) or GPCA-negative OMD (GPCA-OMD) patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The mean corpuscular volume, blood Hb, and serum iron, vitamin B12, homocysteine, and GPCA levels were measured and compared between any two of three groups of 532 GPCA+OMD patients, 532 disease-, age- and sex-matched GPCA-OMD patients, and 532 age- and sex-matched HCSs. RESULTS: We found that 532 GPCA+OMD patients had significantly higher frequencies of microcytosis, macrocytosis, anemia, serum iron and vitamin B12 deficiencies, and hyperhomocysteinemia than 532 HCSs (all P-values <0.001) and significantly higher frequencies of macrocytosis, macrocytic anemia including pernicious anemia (PA), serum vitamin B12 deficiency, and hyperhomocysteinemia than 532 GPCA-OMD patients (all P-values <0.001). Moreover, 532 GPCA-OMD patients also had significantly higher frequencies of microcytosis, macrocytosis, anemia, serum iron and vitamin B12 deficiencies, and hyperhomocysteinemia than 532 HCSs (all P-values <0.001). PA (39.4%) and normocytic anemia (34.3%) were the two most common types of anemia in 137 anemic GPCA+OMD patients. CONCLUSION: GPCA+OMD patients have significantly higher frequencies of macrocytosis, macrocytic anemia including PA, serum vitamin B12 deficiency, and hyperhomocysteinemia than HCSs or GPCA-OMD patients.