PAUL R. MCCURDY, M.D.
The usual cause for vitamin B12 deficiency is its specific malabsorption caused by lack of gastrict intrinsic factor. Nonsurgical deficiency of intrinsic factor is pernicious anemia. The Schilling test was devised to measure gastrointestinal absorption of vitamin B12 (1). In it is measured the radioactivity flushed out in the urine during the 24 hours after the oral administration of B12 tagged with a radioactive isotope of cobalt. To differentiate true Addisonian pernicious anemia from other causes of failure to absorb vitamin B12 unrelated to the secretion of gastric intrinsic factor, one should repeat an abnormal Schilling test and give a
MCCURDY PR. The Detection of Intestinal Absorption of Co57 Tagged Vitamin B12 by Serum Counting. Ann Intern Med. 1965;62:97–102. doi: https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-62-1-97
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Published: Ann Intern Med. 1965;62(1):97-102.
DOI: 10.7326/0003-4819-62-1-97
Adrenal Disorders, Celiac Disease and Malabsorption, Endocrine and Metabolism, Gastroenterology/Hepatology, Hematology/Oncology.
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