Our previous study found the serum gastric parietal cell antibody (GPCA) positivity in 12.3% of burning mouth syndrome (BMS) patients. This study assessed whether GPCA-positive BMS (GPCABMS) patients had significantly higher frequencies of macrocytosis, anemia, hematinic deficiencies, and hyperhomocysteinemia than healthy control subjects or GPCA-negative BMS (GPCABMS) patients.
The mean corpuscular volume, blood hemoglobin (Hb), and serum iron, vitamin B12, folic acid, homocysteine, and GPCA levels were measured and compared between any two of three groups of 109 GPCABMS patients, 775 GPCABMS patients, and 442 healthy control subjects.
We found that 109 GPCABMS patients had significantly higher frequencies of macrocytosis, blood Hb and serum iron and vitamin B12 deficiencies, and hyperhomocysteinemia than 442 healthy control subjects (all P-values < 0.001) and significantly higher frequencies of macrocytosis, blood Hb and serum vitamin B12 deficiencies, and hyperhomocysteinemia than 775 GPCABMS patients (all P-values < 0.01). Moreover, 775 GPCABMS patients had significantly higher frequencies of macrocytosis, blood Hb and serum iron, vitamin B12, and folic acid deficiencies, and hyperhomocysteinemia than 442 healthy control subjects (all P-values < 0.005). Pernicious anemia (45.5%) and normocytic anemia (24.2%) were the two most common types of anemia in 33 anemic GPCABMS patients. Moreover, normocytic anemia (61.3%), thalassemia trait-induced anemia (15.5%), and iron deficiency anemia (14.1%) were the three most common types of anemia in 142 anemic GPCABMS patients.
GPCABMS patients have significantly higher frequencies of macrocytosis, blood Hb and serum vitamin B12 deficiencies, and hyperhomocysteinemia than healthy control subjects or GPCABMS patients.

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