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Vitamin B12 deficiency has many causes, but pernicious anemia is the most common cause of vitamin B12 deficiency in the UK. Pernicious anemia is an autoimmune disease that causes the immune system to attack healthy cells in the body's stomach. The exact cause of pernicious anemia is unknown, but women aged about 60, people with family history and those with other autoimmune disease, such as Addison's disease or vitiligo, are more likely to develop disability, says the NHS.
The symptoms vary depending on the severity of the deficiency. Some are more acute than others.
An easy-to-spot sign is pins and needles in the hands and feet.
According to Bupa, this neuropathy is known as vitamin B12 neuropathy: "It can affect your movements and your feelings, especially in the legs, cause numbness or tingling and decrease your sensitivity to touch, vibration or pain".
Other symptoms include:
- Pale yellow hue on your skin
- A painful and red tongue (glossitis)
- Ulcers of the mouth
- Changes in the way you walk and move
- Disturbed vision
- Irritability
- Depression
- Changes in how you think, feel and behave
- A decline in your mental abilities, such as memory, comprehension and judgment (dementia)
The NHS recommends consulting a GP if any of these symptoms occur.
How do you treat pernicious anemia?
The body does not naturally produce vitamin B12, so you have to supplement the vitamin. According to Bupa, the usual treatment consists of a series of injections: "If you suffer from pernicious anemia, you will need to give yourself injections for the rest of your life."
Other causes of vitamin B12 deficiency
People can develop vitamin B12 deficiency in many ways. Insufficient diet is one of the main triggers.
"Vitamin B12 is found only in foods of animal origin, with the exception of seaweed (Laver Milk Bread in Wales and Nori in Japan)," says the Pernicious Anemia Society.
He added: "Therefore, those who exclude meat from their diet but eat fish and dairy products are much less likely to suffer from a deficiency, as dairy products make vitamin B12" more bioavailable ".
Other potential causes include:
- Some stomach and intestinal disorders can prevent the absorption of a sufficient amount of vitamin B12.
- Certain types of medications can reduce the B12 stock provided by the body.
Diagnose a vitamin B12 deficiency usually involves blood tests and a discussion of symptoms with GP.
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