B12 vitamins are necessary for many complex processes within the body. The body does not produce vitamin B12 so people must consume the vitamin through foods such as meat, shellfish, eggs and poultry. A vitamin B12 deficiency often leads to a condition called vitamin B12 deficiency anemia in which the body doesn't produce enough red blood cells to carry enough oxygen to the tissues and organs. Vitamin B12 deficiencies are rare, most commonly occurring due to malnutrition and malabsorption syndromes.
Vitamin B12
The body can store up to five years of B12 at a time, according to Lab Tests Online, so by the time symptoms appear, the person has suffered a long-term deficiency. Vitamin B12 is essential for the creation of DNA synthesis, cell and tissue repair, and healthy red blood cell formation. Red blood cells contain hemoglobin, a protein essential for carrying oxygen throughout the body. Certain conditions can cause an inability of the body to absorb vitamin B12, even when people consume enough foods containing the vitamin, leading to chronic deficiency.
Malabsorption
Several conditions may cause damage to the intestines where vitamins and nutrients are absorbed from food. Celiac disease is a condition caused by an allergy to a substance called gluten found in many products, such as wheat. When a person with celiac disease ingests gluten, it begins to damage the small fingerlike protrusions within the small intestines called villi. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases explain that damaged villi cannot properly absorb nutrients such as B12, leading to chronic malnutrition.
Another condition, Crohn's disease, causes chronic inflammation of the intestinal tract which can affect the small intestine where B12 is absorbed. Some B12 deficiencies occur due to a lack of a substance known as intrinsic factor. The parietal cells within the stomach produce intrinsic factors that bind with B12 before absorption by the intestines. An autoimmune form of anemia called pernicious anemia causes this disorder.
Symptoms
Symptoms of a B12 deficiency often take years to manifest because it can take up to five years for the body to deplete its stores. When symptoms finally occur, they are often mild at first; weakness, tiredness and headache are common. People may also experience shortness of breath, pale skin, lightheadedness and cold hands and feet. In severe deficiencies, rapid heartbeat, confusion, loss of balance and chest pain can occur, according to National Institutes of Health.
Treatments
People who experience a B12 deficiency due to malabsorption cannot receive B12 through food or oral supplements since the small intestine will not absorb the vitamin. Lab Tests Online explains that sufferers require long-term or lifelong supplementation through B12 injections to avoid symptoms and complications of B12 deficiencies. People suffering from celiac disease must avoid products containing gluten to keep the intestinal villi healthy to allow proper nutrients absorption.
Considerations
People who suffer from malabsorption syndromes often suffer from several other nutritional deficiencies due to lack of absorption. Physicians will work to create a treatment plan to address and reverse chronic malnutrition. People can often reverse a B12 deficiency, but if patients do not start treatment within six months, some symptoms may be permanent, according to National Institutes of Health.
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