Vitamin B12 Deficiency (Anaemia) - Medtick
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Vitamin B12 Deficiency (Anaemia)

What is it?

When vitamin B12 does not get absorbed in the intestine or when one does not eat enough vitamin B12 in their diet.

  • For vitamin B12  to be absorbed, a protein called an intrinsic factor needs to be produced by the parietal cells found in the stomach, this then binds to the vitamin B12 .
  • A lack of intrinsic factor leads to pernicious anaemia.

Cause

Treatments

  • Stomach surgery and gastrectomy

Syndromes

Medication

Epilepsy drugs Vitamin B12 levels
Psoriasis, Arthritis, Cancers, Immunosuppressants:
Methotrexate (Maxtrex)		 Vitamin B12 levels
Gout:
Colchicine		 Vitamin B12 levels
Cholesterol lowering drugs:
Cholestyramine (Questran, Questran Light)
Colesevelam (Cholestagel)
Colestipol (Colestid0		 Vitamin B12 level
Antacid Histamine Blockers (stomach ulcers, heartburn Vitamin B12 levels
Diabetes, Polycystic Ovaries:
Metformin (Glucophage, Bolamyn, Competact, Eucreas)		 Vitamin B12 levels
Proton-pump inhibitors (heartburn, stomach ulcers Vitamin B12 levels

Signs and Symptoms of deficiency

  • Headache which is on and off or a constant headache longer than 24 hours
  • Nerve pain from forehead to edge of the nose by the eye
  • Shooting pain across the forehead
  • Facial pain, usually on only one side of the face at a time
  • Eye twitch
  • Balance and dizziness problems
  • Confusion
  • General discomfort (muscle weakness), uneasiness or ill feeling (malaise) and/or fatigue (tiredness)
  • Difficult to concentrate and/or difficulty in concentrating and/or memory problems and/or poor understanding and judgement
  • Difficulty sleeping and/or lack of sleep
  • Irritated, depressed, anxiety and/or panic attacks
  • Lack of energy
  • Low mood and Depression
  • Sensitivity to every day noise and/or ringing noise within and/or difficulty hearing
  • Inflamed, hot, red, swollen and burning tongue
  • Vision disturbance
  • Swollen lymph glands and/or recurring mouth ulcers
  • Metallic taste in mouth
  • Heart palpitations and/or irregular heartbeat
  • Short of breath or breathing difficulties
  • Chest pain
  • Nausea and sickness feeling
  • Long term persistent indigestion and/or frequent heartburn and/or constant abdominal pain and swelling
  • Feel full quickly when eating, trapped wind and burping
  • Abdominal pain
  • Diarrhoea
  • One find passing stools difficult (can be painful) and constipated
  • Cold hand and feet which can be numb and painful
  • Nerve shock-It can be felt coming on a few seconds before it hits, and then it hits almost like a mild but deep electric shock and quickly subsides. It can occur at the side of either hip or on either side of the upper body, along the ribs
  • Tingling along the back of one or both thighs
  • Pins and needles (paraesthesia) on hands and fingers
  • Numbness on leg and foot area
  • Tingling pain may begin to occur along the outside edge of the hand, starting from the wrist. This pain occurs when the wrist is flexed backward
  • Walking difficulties
  • Yellow tinge to skin
  • Skin colour changes (dark patches)
  • Weight loss

Nail changes:

Complications /Information to beware of/General tips:

Do not wait, phone for an ambulance if have or develop:

Further tests are required for :

Megaloblastic anaemia

  • Condition in which the bone marrow produces unusually large, structurally abnormal, immature red blood cells (megaloblasts) and this cause a lack of folic acid and/or vitamin b12, hence further tests are required to differentiate from other forms of anaemia especially pernicious anaemia which is a lack of vitamin b12.
  • These blood cells are very slow moving have low amount of haemoglobin and not as many of the red blood cells are produced resulting in anaemia.
  • If untreated in infants it can lead to: Hereditary orotic aciduria.

Anaemia can also be caused by:

This condition can lead to:

Tests

If have any of these conditions below please have a test for celiac disease.

Food sources include:

  • Meat
  • Salmon
  • Cod
  • Mackerel
  • Milk and dairy products
  • Eggs
  • Vegetarians – should consider vitamin supplements
  • Fortified- breakfast cereals

This condition may show similar symptoms to:

Please talk to your healthcare professional (i.e. Medical Doctor/Pharmacist) for further advice

Detailed Information

Please copy and paste any key words from the title: Vitamin B12 Deficiency (Anaemia) in the following respective 'Medtick References and/or Sources' to find out more about the disease (this also may include diagnosis tests and generic medical treatments).

  • NHS

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  • Drugs.com

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  • Verywell Health

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