Pernicious anaemia presenting as catatonia without signs of anaemia or macrocytosis.

Abstract

Pernicious anaemia can present with psychiatric symptoms before haematological or neurological manifestations appear. We describe a young woman who presented with insidious onset catatonia without evidence of psychosis or depression. Blood count and mean cell volume were normal and neurological findings were equivocal. Low B(12) levels and intrinsic factor antibodies were found only by chance when they were included in a battery of further investigations. B(12) replacement was followed by prompt improvement. This case provides an argument for wider screening for B(12) deficiency in certain individuals with psychiatric disorders.