Full Definition of PLASMA. 1. : a green faintly translucent quartz. 2. [New Latin, from Late Latin] a: the fluid part of blood, lymph, or milk as distinguished from suspended material; especially: blood plasma b: the juice that can be expressed from muscle.
Pernicious anemia is one form of anemia, an abnormal condition in which there is a decrease in the number of red blood cells in the blood. Pernicious anemia is caused by a lack of vitamin B12, which is vital to the normal develoment of red blood cells. Pernicious anemia is also called vitamin B12 deficiency anemia, and is the most common form of a variety of types of vitamin deficiency anemias. Pernicious anemia can be serious, even life-threatening, if untreated. Vitamin B12 is crucial to the process of producing red blood cells in the body.
Many of the signs and symptoms are due to anemia itself, where anemia is present. Untreated pernicious anemia can lead to neurological complications, and in serious cases, death. However, in 20% of cases of cobalamin deficiency, anemia is not observed.istorically, pernicious anemia (PA) was detected only after it caused symptoms and the anemia was well established, i.e., liver stores of B 12 had been depleted. The pernicious aspect of the disease â prior to the discovery of treatment â was its fatal prognosis, similar to leukemia at that time.