Alterations in Oxygen Transport

Deb Smith, age fifty-six, came to her nurse practitioner (NP) with fatigue, pallor, dyspnea on exertion, and palpitations. Her laboratory report indicates that her hematocrit, hemoglobin, and reticulocyte counts are low; that her MCV is high; and that her MCH and MCHC are normal. Her diagnosis is pernicious anemia.

Answer the following questions regarding Deb’s anemia and provide the pathophysiology associated with the body’s response to this disease process.

Why should Deb’s NP ask her about paresthesia and ataxia?
Why did her NP prescribe vitamin B12 by intramuscular injection rather than orally?
What causes pernicious anemia?
What are the technical terms that describe an anemia with high MCV and normal MCH?

about 500 words

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preview of the answer..

The reasons why the medical practitioner should ask the nurse about the conditions of paresthesia and ataxia is because the two conditions are typically caused by dysfunctions in the dorsal columns. An important reason could be the deficiency of vitamin B12 among other underlying effects. Paresthesia involves sensations of tingling, numbness and crawling mainly felt in the distal regions of the extremities (Lahner & Annibale, 2009). During the diagnosis of …

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