What's in a name?

[pvanderaa]

I was thinking this morning about the identity problem PA sufferers face. Nobody has heard of the problem - we didn't even know about it until we got it. In my case, I have a B12 deficiency that is not Classic PA.

PA seems to have become the overarching generic term for this condition. However, much of the literature, seems to define it narrowly as the heredtitary variety that results in loss of IF due to an auto-immune response.

I'm being a little brash here and am proposing a new acronym for my condition.

AVBD - Acquired Vitamin B Deficiency

The letters are in honour of my grandfather. His initials were BVDA. He always wore a copper wrist band because he had been diagnosed as copper deficient.

The "French" (i.e. NATO/OTAN ) equivalent might be his initials - B Vitamin Deficiency Acquired, unfortunately the translation doesn't retain the same letters.

French - Acquis carence en vitamine B12 (ACVB)

Dutch - (deleted my bad translation)

German - Erworben Vitamin B12-Mangel (EVBM)

[anotherwithpa]

As I am dutch have to say this makes no sense, re:"Dutch - Verworven B12 vitaminegebrek (VBVG) "

[pvanderaa]

I didn't like the word "acquired" at the time I was thinking about it.

Marre, Sorry about the bad translations. I was using one of the automatic translators on the internet. My dutch is pretty bad even though my heritage is dutch. The Swedish was even more interesting - Förvärvade B12-brist.

When I first heard "pernicious" it sounded cute and quaint. I think that is the initial reaction most people have. But when I looked up the meaning, it is truely the correct word that describes the damage that occurs from the B12 deficiency - no matter whether it is an autoimmune diaease, and acquired one, or a self inflected one. It is the powerful part of the name.

The article I found on the World Health Organisation provided me with a much better insight into how stomach acid and bile interact to continually reuse and recycle the B12 that is currently stored in the body. It is a product of a long evolution where everyone needed a continuous flow of B12 but the source - i.e. fresh meat - was sparse.
http://www.pernicious-anaemia-society.o ... hp?t=11792

Thanks for your feedback.

[pvanderaa]

[anotherwithpa]

[pvanderaa]

[Jody]

[pvanderaa]

[JDee]

[Galixie]

I agree that people really only focus on the word anemia when they hear pernicious anemia. But I wouldn't change the name because I love the word pernicious. It's just so goth!

[paulaph]

Perilous Anaemia????!!!

[lulu]

[pvanderaa]

[pvanderaa]

I found somebody else used the word "pernicious":
http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/vie ... p-speeding

[quote]But Roger Lawson, of the Association of British Drivers, said: “This Government loves Big Brother legislation that lets it tell us what to do. If it was mandatory it would be a pernicious erosion of civil liberties.â€

[pvanderaa]