When the body is unable to absorb Vitamin B12, it triggers Vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms. If ignored, the condition can affect different aspects health. One of the most important would be the disruption in the production of red blood cells in our blood.
If untreated, Vit. B12 deficiency is serious. If there is a decrease in production of red blood cells, oxygen cannot be transported to vital organs in the body - disrupting their normal functionalities. It is only with healthy amounts of red blood cells that oxygen can be delivered to essential tissues and cells in the body.
Vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms include anemia, pale skin, fatigue and shortness of breath. This deficiency can also lead to abnormal growth & development. It can also affect the production of:
? Skin
? Nerves
? Genes
? Hair
? Normal metabolism
There is one way to get sufficient amounts of Vitamin B12. It is to eat foods rich in Vit. B12 such as dairy products, lean red meats, dairy products, fish, poultry and others. Then you need to take vitamin B12 supplements. These are water soluble and ingested to help the body gather vitamin B12 from the foods you are eating. This means, if you are not eating the right foods, taking vitamin supplements is useless.
There are also people who suffer from conditions that hinder the body from absorbing Vitamin B12 from the foods they've eaten and ingested. This includes conditions like:
? Crohn's disease
? Celiac disease
? Or if the patient has undergone a surgical removal of a part of their intestines.
These conditions can also be due to the lack of intrinsic factor. It is a type of protein substance produced by the stomach. It is vital for the absorption of Vitamin B12 inside the small intestines. This can be due to the surgical process of removing a part of the intestine (as mentioned earlier) or by an autoimmune response which tends to destroy stomach cells (which produce this protein) or the intrinsic factor. This anomaly can also be inherited.
How is Vitamin B12 deficiency diagnosed?
Simple - the patient will walk through his or her family and personal medical history with the attending physician. He or she should also inform the doctor of symptoms being felt. Then the doctor will conduct physical examination and laboratory tests. This would include CBC tests.
Throu gh CBC or complete blood count diagnostic tests, the doctor can monitor and check the number of blood cells in the blood. There is a serum Vit. B12 level which can measure the levels of vitamins in the blood. Thus, to determine the root cause Vit. B12 deficiency, other tests may be performed.
