B12 Nutritional Deficiency

B12 Nutritional Deficiency – General Information

1. Not eating food which contain the vitamin B12
2. A vegetarian diet, as this vitamin can be found in foods which are of animal origin: meat, eggs, milk, fish, etc.
3. By the inability of the small intestine to absorb the vitamin B12, which is caused by a small production of the intrinsic factors (which are produced by the stomach) which are essential in the absorption of vitamin B12.

The causes of the low production of the intrinsic factors, which lead to B12 Nutritional Deficiency, may be the followings:

• Stomach cancers
• Stomach ulcers
• Antibodies which can form against the cells which are responsible of the production of the vitamin B12.
• A part of the disease of the small intestine
• Fish tapeworm
• The effects of the bowel surgery
• Autoimmune atrophic gastritis

B12 Nutritional Deficiency – Symptoms

It is well known the fact that any medical disorder (including B12 Nutritional Deficiency) can trigger a variety of symptoms. Therefore, some of this medical condition's most uncommon symptoms have not been listed (mentioned) here. This is why we strongly recommend you to contact your personal health care provider whenever you develop any unusual, bothersome or unpleasant symptoms. Your personal physician will be able to tell you if you are suffering from B12 Nutritional Deficiency or from any other medical disorder.
Here is a list of the most common symptoms which patients suffering from B12 Nutritional Deficiency may encounter:

• Tiredness
• Palpitations
• Heart murmur
• Heart failure
• Possibly enlarged liver
• Shortness of breath
• Dizziness
• Fainting
• Angina – which is a form of chest pain
• Headache
• Leg pains
• Red, sore tongue
• Tongue problems
• Red, sore mouth
• Bleeding gums
• Impaired sense of smell
• Loss of tendon reflexes
• Patients may also experience weight loss
• Diarrhea or constipation
• Loss of appetite
• Paleness
• Fatigue
• Numbness of the hands and feet
• Altered sense of touch
• Reduced sense of touch
• Color blindness
• Tingling in the hands
• Tingling in the feet
• Muscle weakness
• Difficulty in walking
• Difficulty in coordination
• Difficulty in maintaining one’s balance
• Psychological symptoms which may include: memory loss, poor memory, depression and also confusion
• Persons who have pernicious anemia are at a higher risk of developing stomach cancer.

B12 Nutritional Deficiency – Treatment

In the case of the B12 Nutritional Deficiency, the diagnosis is made by you doctor or personal health care provider by taking a blood sample which will be sent to a laboratory. This test usually includes an analysis of the red blood cells. In the case of B12 Nutritional Deficiency, the red blood cells are larger than normal, and if the blood test reveals a low level of vitamin B12, then the doctor will try to establish if it is caused either by pernicious anemia or by any other medical condition. A Schilling test can measure the body’s ability to absorb the vitamin B12, and this test can show whether the anemia is cause by the lack of the intrinsic factor and if the organism produces antibodies to intrinsic factor.

In order to avoid the B12 Nutritional Deficiency the patients may follow the following advice:

• Have a varied diet which includes fish, eggs, milk, and liver as these aliments contain vitamin B12.
• The vegetarians should take vitamin B12 supplements, in order to prevent the deficiency.
• Persons who have had a surgery in their small intestine or stomach should pay attention if they present any of the symptoms listed above.

The treatment of the B12 Nutritional Deficiency can include one of the following:

• Cortisone-like drugs
• B12 Resin
• Bedoz
• Calomist
• Cobal-1000
• Cobex
• Coblin-M
• Crystal B12
• Crystamine
• Crysti 12
• Cyanocobalamin
• Cyanoiect
• Cvomin
• LA 12
• Nascobal
• Nascobal gel
• Neuroforte – R
• Primabalt
• Sytobex
• Vibal
• Vitabee 12
• Vitamin B12
• Dietary changes – people who lack intrinsic factors or suffer from malabsorption should increase the intake of vitamin B12 from the food they eat to taking supplements.
• Patients should quit drinking, as alcohol abuse leads to gastritis which damages the lining of the intestines and this damage can interrupt the absorption the vitamin B12.
• Patients should also take nutritional supplements such as B-complex or multivitamins.

It is also known the fact that both oral therapy and intramuscular injection therapy are efficient in treating the B12 Nutritional Deficiency. A study has revealed the fact that any dose of vitamin B12 which is taken orally is directly absorbed by the organism. The injection based treatment will have a number of injections established after the patients are closely studied by their doctor or personal health care provider.
It is very important for the persons who begin a treatment based on oral therapy or injection therapy to avoid taking the drugs with:

• Alcohol
• Aminosalicylic acid
• Antibiotics
• Hormonal contraception
• Chloramphenicol
• Cobalt irradiation as it decreases the absorption of the vitamin B12.
• Colchicine
• Nicotine
• Colestipol and cholestyramine which are drugs used to decrease the cholesterol’s level and which can also decrease the absorption of the vitamin B12.