AUSCC

What is B12 Deficiency?

B12 deficiency causing reactions of anemia, a shortage of vitamin B12 can also interfere with the nerves, and so affect the senses of touch and pain. In adults, blood cells are produced by red bone marrow, which is found inside the centre of the hips, ribs, breastbone and backbone, in addition the ends of long bones such as the thigh. Red blood cells live for around 120 days before they are broken down and replaced, as part of a normal renewal process.

Vitamin B12 is a vital ingredient in DNA, the chemical that carries genetic information for new cells. It’s found in meat and animal products but not in vegetables. You need vitamin B12 to produce red blood cells and for maintaining healthy nerves.

What are the symptoms of B12 deficiency?

The symptoms of B12 deficiency (anemia) include:

breathlessness

feeling very tired

dizziness

feeling very cold all the time

a rapid, weak pulse

palpitations

headaches

Persons with vitamin B12-deficiency anemia may also look pale or jaundiced (yellow-tinged skin and eyes). As well as the symptoms of anemia, vitamin B12 deficiency may cause neurological symptoms because of inflammation of the nerves (neuritis). This is called vitamin B12 neuropathy. It disturbs movement and sensation, especially in the legs, and causes numbness or pins and needles. It can also result in confusion, depression, poor concentration and forgetfulness.

What are the causes of Vitamin B12 deficiency?

There are numerous different causes of anemia. A deficiency of vitamin B12 in your diet is just one possible cause. Other nutrients that you need to produce red blood cells include iron and folate (folic acid). A shortage of these in the diet can also result in anemia.

Most people who develop vitamin B12-deficiency anemia can’t produce enough of a substance called intrinsic factor in their stomach. This intrinsic factor is needed for vitamin B12 to be absorbed from food and drink. This is a condition called pernicious anemia. Pernicious anemia is an autoimmune illness. Normally, antibodies manufactured by the body’s immune system fight foreign substances such as viruses and bacteria. With autoimmune conditions, the immune system mistakes the person’s own tissue as foreign and attacks it instead.

With pernicious anemia, antibodies attack the cells in the stomach that form intrinsic factor. The exact cause of pernicious anemia isn’t known. Its most common in people aged over 60. It affects women more than men, and is more common in people with blue eyes, early graying hair and blood group A.