Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 in Swindon

Understanding the signs and symptoms of B12 deficiency can help patients to support and manage their wellbeing.

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient that works to keep our nerve and blood cells healthy and functioning. It also helps to build the DNA that is the genetic material found in cells. Vitamin B12 cannot be made by the body and must be sourced from diet or supplements.

It is bound to protein in foods and is released and absorbed when the food is exposed to saliva and stomach acids during digestion. When it is added to fortified foods or taken as a supplement, it is in a form that is more easily absorbed without requiring the action of digestive enzymes.

When there is a deficiency of vitamin B12, it can be due to difficulty in absorbing the vitamin B12 from food, failure to eat enough vitamin B12-rich foods, a health condition like pernicious anaemia, damage to the gastrointestinal tract, or prolonged use of certain medications that interfere with its absorption. When vitamin B12 or folate deficiency anaemia occurs, it results in fewer than normal or abnormal red blood cells which are unable to properly perform their duty of distributing oxygen throughout the body.

While various groups can be affected by this deficiency, those that follow a plant-based diet are particularly prone. This is because the richest sources of vitamin B12 are animal products like meat and dairy. Excluding animal products from your diet will require another intervention to get enough quantities of this essential nutrient.

Vitamin B12 injections are the most effective way to treat this deficiency. More so than dietary supplement pills that may be affected by digestive system problems or medications that can inhibit their absorption. Intramuscular injections can deliver a healthy dose of vitamin B12 that can remain usable to the body for weeks or months at a time. If you believe you may have a vitamin B12 deficiency this can be a viable solution to your condition and its effects.

Symptoms of B12 deficiency

Having a vitamin B12 deficiency can negatively affect your health and quality of life. The symptoms can however take a long time to appear as the body can store large amounts of vitamin B12 in reserve. Some of the common symptoms of this condition include:

extreme tiredness or weakness
lack of energy
pale skin
heart palpitations
lack of appetite
disturbed vision
sore of the tongue
mouth ulcers
weight loss
depression
impaired cognitive functions

If the deficiency occurs in infants, it can cause them delays in meeting developmental milestones and suffer anaemia. These symptoms above can also occur even without a person necessarily developing anaemia and can cause damage to the nervous system. This is why it is important to consult your doctor, get tested, and start treatment for the deficiency early on.

Getting Tested

Your doctor may be able to confirm a diagnosis of vitamin B12 deficiency based on the symptoms you are experiencing. This diagnosis can also be verified with a blood test. Different blood tests can be used for this including tests to check:

levels of B12 and folate in the blood
levels of haemoglobin
size of red blood cells

If the red blood cells are larger than should be normal, it could indicate anaemia caused by B12 deficiency.

Your doctor will factor in both symptoms and blood test results in making a final diagnosis. This is because using the blood tests alone may not be as accurate. When testing for B12 levels in the blood, the most commonly used test measures both active and inactive forms of B12. Active levels of B12 can be used by the body while the inactive form cannot. This means that with a high level of inactive B12 and a low level of active B12, the test may indicate you have sufficient levels of B12, when that is not the case.

If vitamin B12 is suspected, you may likely be referred to a specialist for further testing and diagnosis to establish the cause. Especially if you do not adhere to a plant-based diet. You may have a blood or digestive condition that warrants further investigation.

Options for treatment

Treatment options are based on the cause of the condition. Where vitamin B12 deficiency or pernicious anaemia is confirmed, vitamin B12 injections are normally prescribed to help replenish the loss of essential nutrients. This is an autoimmune condition that causes the immune system to attack stomach cells and interferes with its ability to absorb vitamin B12. It is the most common cause of vitamin B12 deficiency in the UK.

Two types of vitamin B12 injections are available.

According to NICE guidelines, the injections are initially administered three times per week for two weeks and then retested. Thereafter the frequency will depend on the cause of the deficiency. If it is pernicious anaemia, the injections may need to be administered for the rest of your life.

If the deficiency is a result of a lack of vitamin B12-rich foods in your diet, you may need to consult with a nutritionist on how to make dietary changes that will correct this. In the meantime, you may be prescribed vitamin B12 tablets that should be taken in between meals, daily. You may also be prescribed twice-annual vitamin B12 injections. This will help to bring up your vitamin B levels to a normal range. If you are on a plant-based or vegan diet and do not intend to make changes, you may need to take vitamin B12 pills or injections for the rest of your life.

Risks and Benefits of B12 Injections

There is minimal risk associated with taking vitamin B12 injections. They are generally considered a safe and effective treatment for vitamin B12 deficiency, pernicious anaemia, and other health conditions. The injections bypass the digestive system, ensuring that the body can absorb as much of the essential nutrient, as efficiently as possible. By helping to restore good health and boost energy levels, vitamin B12 injections may also be a support to weight loss.

Like any other medication, the injections may however also cause side effects in some people. Some of the common side effects associated with vitamin B12 injections include: