Megaloblastic Anaemia among Indians in Britain

A high incidence of megaloblastic anaemia, approximately threetimes that in white persons, has been found in Indian immigrantsin Britain. The clinical, haematological, and biochemical featuresof 25 patients are described. All but one of these were livingin the Southall area of Middlesex. In 15 cases the presentinghaemoglobin was less than 7 g/100 ml and three of these wereteenage girls. The majority (17 cases) were nutritional anaemias;the type of deficiency was variable and this group includedsome patients with vitamin B₁₈ deficiency, some with folic aciddeficiency, and some with deficiency of both vitamins. Amongthe remaining eight patients there were cases of perniciousanaemia, tropical sprue, gluten enteropathy, post-gastrectomyanaemia, and unexplained vitamin Bla malabsorption. Some ofthese conditions have previously been considered uncommon inAsiatic Indians.