Pernicious Anaemia Profile

The WBC (white blood cell) count is a common test within a health assessment and is a measure of your body's ability to fight infection. A normal WBC level can be interpreted as a sign that the first line of defence against invasion by bacteria or other disease causing organisms is intact and functioning. Moderately elevated white cell counts are a sign of acute infection, while very high counts of abnormal white cells are encountered with leukaemia (a relatively rare form of blood cancer).

Red Blood Cell Count
The RBC (red blood cell) count is the number of red blood cells present. It can vary considerably, and a marginally low or high health screening reading may not imply a problem. Significantly reduced numbers within any health check can be associated with anaemia (a deficiency in red cell production, or excessive loss of blood), and very high numbers are seen in polycythaemia (a condition which can be caused by smoking, living at altitude or just because the bone marrow makes too many red cells).

The serum iron level is a measure of the circulating iron in the blood. It tells us (along with TIBC/UIBC, transferrin and ferritin) the state of the body's iron reserves. An excess in a health screening can indicate disorders of iron storage (such as haemochromatosis), while low levels may indicate (along with changes in TIBC/UIBC, transferrin saturation and ferritin) iron deficiency.

Vitamin B12 is an important vitamin, essential for the normal functioning of many body processes. Deficiency can lead to anaemia (poor quality red blood cells) and neurological (nerve) disorders. It is most abundant in meat products so vegetarians are more vulnerable to deficiency of this vitamin. Pernicious anaemia develops if uptake of vitamin B12 into the blood from the gut is absent or severely impaired, and even if a diet rich in the vitamin is taken, deficiency will occur if this disease is present. Recent evidence suggests that mild deficiency is probably more common than previously thought. Mild deficiency may explain the presence of fatigue and a host of other limiting symptoms which is why we have included it within the PLUS V and PLUS X health screening profiles.