10 symptoms of Vitamin B12 deficiency discharges your battery daily.

Suddenly in afternoon I got a call from one of my friend told me that he is having gripping difficulty in both hands and pin & needle sensation in both hands & feet along with muscular weakness.

To rule out other differential diagnosis, we call him to clinic and found that his body is Pale. He is also facing memory loss problem from few days along with irritability with the gadgets surrounding him.

I added “Did you lose your weight?”

He said he lost his weight too and facing difficulty to do procedure, getting fatigue easily.

So it’s not Cervical or Lumbar Pain but provisional diagnosis says Vitamin B-12 deficiency.

Let us try to know what exactly is :

Vitamin B12 deficiency or folate deficiency anemia?

Daily requirement of Vit B 12?

Sources of Vit B-12?

What are its symptoms?

How to diagnosis & treatment for it?

What is Vitamin B12 deficiency or folate deficiency anemia?

Vitamin B12, also known as cobalamin, is an important water-soluble vitamin. It plays an essential nutrient in the production of your red blood cells and DNA, as well as the proper functioning of your nervous system.

Vitamin B12 deficiency may lead to a reduction in healthy red blood cells (anaemia) & nervous system may also be affected. Diet or certain medical conditions may be the cause.

Vitamin B-12 deficiency may affect between 1.5 and 15.0 percent of people.

Average daily intake of vitamin B-12, as recommended

Men : 2.4 micrograms (mcg)

Women : 1.4 mcg

How we can get Vitamin B-12?

Vitamin B-12 is a water-soluble vitamin that is present in animal-based foods, such as:

• red meat
• poultry
• eggs
• dairy products
• fish

If a person does not eat animal products, they will need to add vegetarian and vegan sources of vitamin B-12 to their diet. These include fortified cereals, plant milks, bread, and nutritional yeast.

Symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency

If you have anemia caused by a vitamin B12 deficiency, you may have symptoms such as:

1. Paresthesia Sensation – Tingling Hands & Feet
2. Walking Trouble
3. Fatigue
4. Irritability
5. Problem Thinking or Reasoning
6. Pale Skin
7. Tachycardia & Breathlessness
8. Nausea, vomiting & diarrhea
9. Loss of Appetite & Weight Loss
10. Smooth Red Tongue

Some of these symptoms can also happen in people who have a vitamin B12 deficiency but have not developed anemia.

 

1.     Paresthesia Sensation – Tingling Hands & Feet.

Vit B12 produce a substance called myelin which is protective coating of nerves and helps them transmit sensations.

Vitamin B-12 deficient may not produce enough myelin to coat their nerves. Without this coating, nerves can become damaged.

Problems are more common in the nerves in the hands and feet, which are called peripheral nerves. Peripheral nerve damage may lead to tingling in these parts of the body.

2.     Walking Trouble : Due to paresthesia – Pin & Needle sensation in feet person find difficult to walk even on plane surface and feel like walking on needle on every step.

3.    Fatigue : Person can feel extremely tired during working time or at the end of the day even after taking enough sleep.

4 .     Irritability : Vitamin B-12 deficient person feel like crying with small event or without any events. They have mood swings and irritability which cause depression and anxiety. (One of person was crying by seen daily soaps)

5.     Problem Thinking or Reasoning : Due to lack of Oxygen supply to brain might cause Problem thinking or reasoning. for eg. sometime person keeps phone in fridge and forget

6.   Pale Skin : Vitamin B-12 plays a role in the production of red blood cells which circulates under the skin provide its color. A vitamin B-12 deficiency can cause a lack of red blood cells so the skin may look pale.

7.     Tachycardia & Breathlessness : Few may have increase in heart rate (Tachycardia) along with shortness of breath. This may see as per severity of deficiency. In such condition, need to consult Doctor immediately.

8.     Nausea, vomiting & diarrhea : Due to lack of blood supply to gut, may result into nausea, vomiting & diarrhea.

 9.     Loss of Appetite & Weight Loss : Due to loss of appetite our food intake decreases & result in weight loss.

10.  Smooth Red Tongue : Lack of blood supply lose papillae on their tongue which contains taste buds. If you lose them you will not like to eat even your best food. This also result in weight loss.

Diagnosis : Lab investigation can done.

 

Treatment :  Vitamin B-12 shots are injections containing high levels of cyanocobalamin. These shots, can quickly boost B-12 levels in someone who is deficient.

Cyanocobalamin is available in liquid, tablet, or capsule form. Certain foods, such as cereals and non-dairy milk and yogurts, may be fortified with the man-made form of vitamin B-12.

Injectables are acting faster than oral as B-12 shots bypass the stomach and are absorbed directly into the bloodstream.

Therefore, they are a better option than oral supplements for those who have gastrointestinal issues, including older adults who have low levels of stomach acid or intrinsic factor.

 

Thank you for reading my blog. Do charge yourself daily.

 

Take care. Have a Pain Free Life.

If any query, Please feel free to give your comments.

 

Regards,

Dr Amita Agrawal,

(BPT, PGDEMS, D.Acu., MIAP, MBA)

Consultant Physiotherapist.

Email : dramita.19@gmail.com