B12 Deficiency Symptoms

Vitamin B-12 is one of the vitamins within the B complex group that is essential for the proper functioning of the body as it is responsible for maintaining a healthy count of red blood cells and nerve cells. It is also vital in the creation of DNA and is commonly found in food such as shellfish, dairy products, fish and meat. Due to the fact that the body usually stores years worth of the vitamin, deficiency is rare. Nevertheless, older persons are more at risk of developing the deficiency but this could be as a result of the body’s inability to take in the vitamin. This inability may be caused by not ingesting the proper amounts of B-12 because of dietary restrictions, which is usually the case with some vegans. Since vitamin B-12 is usually found in meat and not vegetables, vegans are more at risk of developing a deficiency of vitamin B-12 if they do not take supplements.

Main Symptom of Vitamin B-12 Deficiency

Even though vitamin B-12 deficiency is extremely rare, when it occurs, it can potentially produce irreversible and severe damage to the nervous system and the brain.  The main symptom of vitamin B-12 deficiency is pernicious anaemia or Biermer’s disease. This is typified by neurological and gastrointestinal symptoms as well as megalobastic anaemia. This is a type of anaemia that leads to the inhibition of DNA synthesis in the production of red blood cells.

Other Symptoms of Vitamin B-12 Deficiency

The most common symptoms of vitamin B-12 deficiency in the body are as follows:

• nausea
• loss of appetite
• weight loss
• constipation
• flatulence / gas
• lethargy
• weakness

More severe cases of vitamin B-12 deficiency can result in the following symptoms:

• depression and other psychological symptoms
• burning of the tongue
• dizziness
• numbness or tingling in the feet and hands
• loss of memory and other neurological damage
• headaches and hallucinations
• insomnia
• loss of balance
• intermittent constipation and diarrhoea
• issues with digestion
• difficulty in breathing
• abdominal pain and menstrual symptoms

Mental Disorders Due to Vitamin B-12 Deficiency

During the disease’s progress, mental disorders and psychosis can develop, indicated by suicidal tendencies as part of the depressive state and the development of paraphrenia. This is a form of schizophrenia that is typified by delusion. These severe complications arising from the deficiency may not be reversible and takes into consideration, the length of time in which the symptoms were present.

Treatment of Vitamin B-12 Deficiency

Treatment of vitamin B-12 deficiency anaemia is dependent upon the underlying cause but usually requires lifelong injections of the supplement if it is pernicious anaemia. If anaemia due to insufficient amounts of B-12 in the diet is suspected, patients will be asked to follow a balanced diet along with intake of supplements as part of the treatment. The anaemia caused by malabsorption may be dealt with by using injections until the condition improves. In individuals who have a particularly low level of the vitamin, intramuscular shots can be given. Sufferers of the deficiency usually report feeling better within 1-2 days of beginning treatment.

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