B12 anemia and Lupus-RASH?

VeeJ

Dear iamwoman,

I had B12 anemia that may have been caused by chronic GI problems (malabsorption) &/or chronic inflammation. I was Dx'ed in 2000 with the SCLE subset of lupus. Within a short time of starting Plaquenil, most of my chronic problems, incl. the anemia, started to improve. I've read there are dozens of types of anemia, though...

There were times in the past I had very elevated WBC, probably from active inflammation. This started when I was a teenager (am post-50 now, ).

My rashes were on my torso/upper arms: nonscarring target-like, typical of SCLE with anti-Ro antibodies. Your skin problem is obviously on your face, so I probably can't say anything very useful rash-wise. (Sorry.)

I know others here have discussed anemia, so I hope some of them will chip in soon, too. Best wishes, from Vee

zorm

Dear iamwoman and Veej,

Iamwoman- If you read the stickies at the top of the board the one for the american rheumatology guide to diagnosing lupus. you will notice that anemia is one of the criteria. i have just been diagnosed and i was extremly deficient in vitimain b12. I can't talk to you about treatment as i have recently been diagnosed and trying to fathom that out for myself still. However you need to keep a check on your other bloods symptons and urine tests as well? Have you already been diagnosed with Lupus? As for my face rash- well it comes up like blisters from under the skin they then fade down and the skin peels quite badly. sometimes they are very blood red looking. I often think some of these rashes may be due to vitimain b12 deficiency and not just lupus.

love zoe x



Dear Veej,

Hope you are doing ok. Your last post was interesting. that you got anemia.
My white cells were high for ages and then went low too. My inflammatory markers when tested have been normal. Its a wierd old business isn't it. i was interested in what you said about malabsorbtion. I sometimes wonder if my inability to tolerate meds has anything to do with my stomach i often feel i get pain from here?? Get this aswell when i found out i was b12 deficient i took a supplement and i got what looked like a butterfly rash from it??

take care love and hugs zoe x

VeeJ

Hi, Zoe! Good to see you posting, as I've been thinking about your upcoming follow-through appt. (I hope it goes well.)

Re: the malabsorption I had... From my mid-20's, I had such awful bouts of gastrointestional problems = chronic diarrhea. Was tested repeatedly for all the likely candidates (ulcerative colitis, Crohn's, etc.) but I never showed signs of an inflammatory BOWEL disease.

So I still don't really know what all caused the B12 deficiency, the lupus which was probably on the rise for years, or the GI chronic problem.

Is that anything close to what you experience?

Catch you later! Always, Vee

iamwoman

Thanks so much for the info. I haven't been tested for lupus yet. Still in the initial testing stages. I go back to my hema. 3/16. Should I ask him to test for lupus? I've known for years that something was "not right" because of my severe fatigue. I've suspected lupus but I don't want for the dr. to think I'm over reacting. Should I speak with the hematologist or should I see a Rheumy?
Any suggestions would be appeciated as I'm new to this whole process.

zorm

Dear iamwoman,

You could get regular doc to do blood tests although it might be different in the states. why not ask your hematologist to do the blood tests and for their opinion. Its not always rheumatologists that end up diagnosing lupus. ask them about the rash you get? If your illness is intefeing with your daily life- then it warrants further investigation. It would be better to keep an eye on things rather than wait for something to happen if you see what im saying. i had fatigue and wierd stuff going on for a while but it was not until i got really sick that i bothered with doctors and then it was an up hill struggle trying to get a diagnosis and dealing with the illness. Have a talk with your hematologist if they are a good doctor.

best wishes zoe x