Other neurological findings include altered sensation, paresthesia in the extremities, gait ataxia, poor vision, dizziness, loss of taste or smell, urinary or fecal incontinence, loss of cutaneous sensation, impaired sense of vibration, proprioception, psychiatric manifestation, memory impairment, personality changes, ...
Key points about vitamin B12 deficiency anemia
Without enough red blood cells, your tissues and organs don't get enough oxygen. Without enough oxygen, your body can't work as well. Symptoms include weak muscles, numbness, trouble walking, nausea, weight loss, irritability, fatigue, and increased heart rate.
B12 deficiency manifests as macrocytic anemia, and thus, the presenting symptoms often include signs of anemia, such as fatigue and pallor. Due to the increased hemolysis caused by impaired red blood cell formation, jaundice may also be a presenting symptom. Therefore, a thorough dermatologic exam may also be helpful.
Stage 1 is decreased levels of vitamin B12 in the blood. Stage 2 is low concentration of vitamin B12 in the cell and metabolic abnormalities. Stage 3 is increased levels of homocysteine and MMA and decreased DNA synthesis resulting in neuropsychiatric symptoms. Stage 4 is macrocytic anemia.
Constipation, diarrhea, loss of appetite, or gas. Nerve problems like numbness or tingling, muscle weakness, and problems walking. Vision loss. Mental problems like depression, memory loss, or behavioral changes.
A vitamin B12 deficiency can cause megaloblastic anemia. Megaloblasts are immature red blood cells that are larger than normal. They usually have an odd shape, too. When you have anemia, your red blood cells have trouble getting oxygen to your tissues and organs.
How to raise your B12 levels fast. The most common way to treat B12 deficiencies is by adjusting your diet. If this is unsuccessful, vitamin supplements may be recommended. If you're looking to boost the amount of vitamin B12 in your diet, you should eat more animal products, like meat, seafood, dairy and eggs.
Disturbed or blurred vision can also occur as a result of a Vitamin B12 deficiency. This happens when the deficiency causes damage to the optic nerve that leads to your eyes. The nervous signal that travels from the eye to the brain is disturbed due to this damage, leading to impaired vision.
Recovery from vitamin B12 deficiency takes time. You may not have any improvement during the first few months of treatment. Improvement may be gradual and may continue for up to six to 12 months.
It may take a few weeks before your vitamin B12 levels and symptoms (such as extreme tiredness or lack of energy) start to improve. If you have hydroxocobalamin injections to boost your vitamin B12 levels at the start of treatment, the cyanocobalamin tablets may start to work within a few days.
A lack of gastric acid, due to PPI or H2RA use (or pathophysiologic conditions that affect gastric acid production, such as atrophic gastritis), will reduce the digestive capacity to release vitamin B-12 from foods, and thus reduce the amount of vitamin B-12 that is absorbed in the body.
Pernicious anemia is a relatively rare autoimmune disorder that causes diminishment in dietary vitamin B12 (cobalamin) absorption, resulting in B12 deficiency and subsequent megaloblastic anemia. It affects people of all ages worldwide, particularly those over 60.
Pernicious anaemia is the most common cause of vitamin B12 deficiency in the UK. Pernicious anaemia is an autoimmune condition that affects your stomach. An autoimmune condition means your immune system, the body's natural defence system that protects against illness and infection, attacks your body's healthy cells.
Testing for vitamin B12 requires a sample of blood. Measuring your vitamin B12 level helps your health care provider diagnose a possible deficiency and recommend appropriate treatment.
The NHS notes that vitamin B12 deficiency can cause “loss of physical coordination (ataxia), which can affect your whole body and cause difficulty speaking or walking”. The Mayo Clinic describes the walking style saying a person with vitamin B12 deficiency can walk unsteadily, or with their feet set wide apart.
Normally, vitamin B12 is readily absorbed in the last part of the small intestine (ileum), which leads to the large intestine. However, to be absorbed, the vitamin must combine with intrinsic factor, a protein produced in the stomach.
Anticonvulsants -- include phenytoin (Dilantin), phenobarbital, primidone (Mysoline) Chemotherapy medications -- particularly methotrexate. Colchicine -- used to treat gout. Bile acid sequestrants -- used to lower cholesterol; include colestipol (Colestid), cholestyramine (Questran), and colsevelam (Welchol)
Bananas are a cheap, healthy, and nutrient-dense fruit that can easily become a part of every individual's diet. It is one of the best fruits rich in vitamin B12.
Older people are more likely to get vitamin B12 deficiencies because it is absorbed from food by stomach acid. As you age, however, your stomach acid starts to decline. That's why it is important to get tested for a vitamin B12 deficiency as you age.
B12 and Anxiety: The Basics
Some studies have found people experiencing anxiety have lower levels of vitamin B12, and that people with anxiety and depression at more likely to have a vitamin B12 deficiency.