Vitamin B12 deficiency is one of the common problems that many people suffer from, due to several reasons. There are many foods rich in vitamin B12, such as: meat, eggs and milk products, and the vitamin binds in the stomach to the gastric intrinsic factor, after which they are absorbed together as one compound into the body.
Stages of vitamin B12 deficiency
The stages of vitamin B12 deficiency develop into several stages as follows
The first stage
At this stage, there is a decrease in the stock of vitamin B12 in the body, which causes a slight decrease in its levels in the blood serum.
The second phase
Ineffectiveness of the vitamin, as there is a rise in the levels of several types of waste products in the serum (metabolites), such as: homocysteine and methylmalonic acid, and at this stage the levels of the vitamin are less than the normal limit.
third level
At this stage, anemia occurs in addition to neuropathy (Demyelination), which leads to typical symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency.
Symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency
Symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency can be divided as follows
More common symptoms
Classic clinical vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms of anemia include
Tired.
low weight.
Numbness in the paws.
loss of sensation
Vibration
Less common symptoms
They include the following
Memory and concentration disturbances.
changes in mood
Depression.
sleep disturbances
double vision
Autoimmune disorders.
Various disorders of the gastrointestinal tract.
Fertility problems.
Causes and risk factors for vitamin B12 deficiency
Vitamin B12 deficiency can result for several reasons, including the following
Undernutrition.
Disorders in the absorption of food, whether in the stomach or small intestine.
The malabsorption disorder is due to a deficiency of gastric intrinsic factor.
Atrophy of the mucous membrane of the stomach.
Pernicious anemia.
Complete or partial removal of the stomach.
Zollinger-ellison syndrome.
Infections of the intestine.
Damage to the distal ileum of the small intestine (Lymphoma).
Small bowel resection.
Diseases of the pancreas.
Cobalamin deficiency and proteinuria.
Complications of vitamin B12 deficiency
Vitamin B12 deficiency increases the risk of atherosclerosis, so in the future, vitamin B12 levels will become part of the routine check-ups in the community, as is the case with lipid profiles or blood sugar levels.
Diagnosis of vitamin B12 deficiency
Diagnosis depends on examining many substances in the body that indicate the problem, as follows:
Finding antibodies against parietal cells.
Gastrin levels are elevated in the blood.
Modified Shilling test by adding the internal factor.
Checking the levels of some substances, such as: homocysteine, and methylmalonic acid.
Treatment of vitamin B12 deficiency
Vitamin B12 deficiency is treated through the following
Injections
Giving vitamin B12 injections into the muscle helps to correct the deficiency and fill the stock, and the injections are usually taken in the form of a daily injection for two weeks, or an injection per week for a period of 4-6 times, then one injection every month.
pharmaceutical
There are also medications given by mouth, sucking, sublingual, or an ointment to be applied to the mucous membrane in the nose.
While medications aren''t enough to correct severe vitamin B12 deficiency, they can prevent progression of the disease in people who are at high risk.
Prevention of vitamin B12 deficiency
Vitamin B12 deficiency can be prevented by avoiding risk factors that cause this condition as much as possible.
