Health News - Campaign to raise awareness of blood cell condition

Published: 2 February, 2011
by TOM FOOT

Man with anaemia misdiagnosed with terminal liver cancer

HE was sent home from hospital with the heartbreaking news that he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer and broke the news to his 75-year-old mother that same night.

But two days later the man, who wishes to be identified as David, received an apology from consultants at University College Hospital and was told he had “pernicious anaemia”.

His partner, Debby Richards, who lives in Lawford Road, Kentish Town, is now promoting awareness of pernicious anaemia – an aggressive form of the blood cell condition. She will hold an afternoon tea and cupcake decorating day in St Paul’s Church in Camden Square, Camden Town, to raise funds.

Ms Richards said: “It was a terrible time seeing the person you love being told they have ­terminal cancer and it’s something that I will never forget. If my story can help one family to not go through what we did that would be fantastic.”

Her partner was rushed to hospital in December last year. He had been unwell for weeks and doctors were concerned about a very low iron ­level. His complaints about weight loss – he lost half a stone in a week – yellowing skin and tiredness were said to be symptoms of depression. 

Ms Richards said: “What they said next will stay with me forever – they said, ‘you can’t go home as we are certain that you have liver cancer’. This was in a cubicle in Accident and Emergency.

“We then had to go home and tell his 75-year-old mother that her son had liver cancer – we had a terrible night.”

The couple went back to the hospital and Ms Richards’ partner underwent two blood trans­fusions before a full body CT scan. “The consultant told us that they had made a mistake and that David had pernicious anaemia.” Injections of the vitamin B12 have worked “amazingly well”, she said. 

Pernicious anaemia is when the body fails to absorb vitamin B-12, interfering with the nervous system. B12 is needed to make red blood cells. The condition is most common in older people and has been linked with depression, dementia, MS, and chronic fatigue syndrome. 

• For more information contact www.pernicious-anaemia-society.org