What disease is caused by lack of B12?

(Pernicious Anemia) Dietary vitamin B12 deficiency usually results from inadequate absorption, but deficiency can develop in vegans who do not take vitamin supplements. Deficiency causes megaloblastic anemia, damage to the white matter of the spinal cord and brain, and peripheral neuropathy.

msdmanuals.com - Vitamin B12 Deficiency - Nutritional Disorders - MSD Manuals

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Dietary vitamin B12 deficiency usually results from inadequate absorption, but deficiency can develop in vegans who do not take vitamin supplements. Deficiency causes megaloblastic anemia, damage to the white matter of the spinal cord and brain, and peripheral neuropathy. Diagnosis is usually made by measuring serum vitamin B12 levels. The Schilling test helps determine etiology. Treatment consists of oral or parenteral vitamin B12. Folate ( folic acid ) should not be used instead of vitamin B12 because folate may alleviate the anemia but allow neurologic deficits to progress. Cobalamin is a general term for compounds with biologic vitamin B12 activity. These compounds are involved in nucleic acid metabolism, methyl transfer, and myelin synthesis and repair. They are necessary for the formation of normal red blood cells and normal neural function (see table ). Dietary sources of vitamin B12 include meats (especially beef, pork, and organ meats [eg, liver]), poultry, eggs, fortified cereals, milk and milk products, and seafood such as clams, oysters, mackerel, and salmon. Food-bound vitamin B12 is released in the stomach’s acid environment and is bound to R protein (haptocorrin). Pancreatic enzymes cleave this B12 complex (B12-R protein) in the small intestine. After cleavage, intrinsic factor, secreted by parietal cells in the gastric mucosa, binds with vitamin B12. Intrinsic factor is required for absorption of vitamin B12, which takes place in the terminal ileum. Vitamin B12 in plasma is bound to transcobalamins I and II. Transcobalamin II is responsible for delivering vitamin B12 to tissues. The liver stores large amounts of vitamin B12. Enterohepatic reabsorption helps retain vitamin B12. Liver vitamin B12 stores can normally sustain physiologic needs for 3 to 5 years if B12 intake stops (eg, in people who become vegans) and for months to 1 year if enterohepatic reabsorption capacity is absent. Large amounts of vitamin B12 seem to be nontoxic but are not recommended for regular use (ie, as a general tonic). Treatment of Vitamin B12 Deficiency Supplemental vitamin B12 Vitamin B12 1000 to 2000 mcg orally can be given once a day to patients who do not have severe deficiency or neurologic symptoms or signs. A nasal gel preparation of vitamin B12 is available at a higher price. Large oral doses can be absorbed by mass action, even when intrinsic factor is absent. If the methylmalonic acid (MMA) level (sometimes used to monitor treatment) does not decrease, patients may not be taking vitamin B12. For more severe deficiency, vitamin B12 1 mg IM is usually given 1 to 4 times a week for several weeks until hematologic abnormalities are corrected; then it is given once a month. Although hematologic abnormalities are usually corrected within 6 weeks (reticulocyte count should improve within 1 week), resolution of neurologic symptoms may take much longer. Neurologic symptoms that persist for months or years become irreversible. In most older people with vitamin B12 deficiency and dementia, cognition does not improve after treatment. Vitamin B12 treatment must be continued for life unless the pathophysiologic mechanism for the deficiency is corrected. Infants of vegan mothers should receive supplemental vitamin B12 from birth. Key Points Common causes of vitamin B12 deficiency include inadequate dietary amounts (eg, in vegans), impaired absorption, age-related decreased acid secretion, and autoimmune metaplastic atrophic gastritis (which causes pernicious anemia). The deficiency commonly causes megaloblastic anemia, loss of position and vibration sensation (which occurs early and progresses), and, when advanced, paranoia, delirium, and confusion.

Do a complete blood count and measure vitamin B12 and folate levels.

Do a Schilling test in young and middle-aged adults with vitamin B12 deficiency.

Treat with supplemental vitamin B12.

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What diseases cause B12 deficiency?

Vitamin B12 Deficiency Atrophic gastritis, in which your stomach lining has thinned. Pernicious anemia, which makes it hard for your body to absorb vitamin B12. Conditions that affect your small intestine, such as Crohn's disease, celiac disease, bacterial growth, or a parasite. More items... •

webmd.com - Vitamin B12 Deficiency: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment - WebMD

Do you get enough vitamin B12? You'll want to make sure that you do, in order to stay healthy. Vitamin B12 does a lot of things for your body. It helps make your DNA and your red blood cells, for example. Since your body doesn't make vitamin B12, you have to get it from animal-based foods or from supplements. And you should do that on a regular basis. While B12 is stored in the liver for up to five years, you can eventually become deficient if your diet doesn't help maintain the levels. How Much to Get? The answer depends on things including your age, your eating habits and medical conditions, and what medications you take. The average recommended amounts, measured in micrograms (mcg), vary by age: Infants up to age 6 months: 0.4 mcg

Babies age 7-12 months: 0.5 mcg

Children age 1-3 years: 0.9 mcg

Kids age 4-8 years: 1.2 mcg

Children age 9-13 years: 1.8 mcg

Teens age 14-18: 2.4 mcg (2.6 mcg per day if pregnant and 2.8 mcg per day if breastfeeding) Adults: 2.4 mcg (2.6 mcg per day if pregnant and 2.8 mcg per day if breastfeeding) Food Sources of Vitamin B12 You can get vitamin B12 in animal foods, which have it naturally, or from items that have been fortified with it. Animal sources include dairy products, eggs, fish, meat, and poultry. If you're looking for a food fortified with B12, check the product's Nutrition Facts label.

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