Hereditary Hypochromic Anemia with Transfusion Hemosiderosis Treated with Pyridoxine

ALTHOUGH pyridoxal-5-phosphate is known to serve as a coenzyme in the synthesis of heme,1 anemia associated with pyridoxine deficiency has been reported only rarely in human beings. Snyderman and her co-workers2 described an increase in reticulocytes and hemoglobin concentration in an infant treated with vitamin B6 who had become anemic while receiving a pyridoxine-deficient diet. More recently Harris and his co-workers3 reported a therapeutic response to pyridoxine in an anemic adult male. This patient was vitamin B6 deficient as evidenced by abnormalities of tryptophane metabolism. Since the report of Harris et al. several other patients have been described . . .