Dr Klein is a consultant anaesthetist at Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge and also runs the Cambridge Iron Clinic. Dr Klein identified people with fatigue, suffering from obvious anaemia (iron deficiency – anemia for those with different spelling), who were not getting the treatment they needed.
Dr Klein found that some patients coming to his clinic were actually suffering from B12 deficiency, which also causes fatigue (hence the ancient name “pernicious anaemia”). Vitamin B12 deficiency can also cause absorption problems which result in iron deficiency (with all the symptoms of iron deficiency on top). B12 deficiency can cause megaloblastic anaemia or over-sized red blood cells (megaloblasty). It must be emphasised that the megaloblasty and microblasty don’t cancel each other out – a patient will present with both the small red blood cells (smaller diameter), and larger red blood cells (normal diameter but without the dip in the middle that gives proper red blood cells their very high surface area, and this results in a greater volume >97fl). So Dr Klein started offering B12 infusions as well.
Dr Klein spoke about his observations, his research, and his clinic.