Anemia is a condition characterized by a lack of healthy red blood cells. Several types of anemia can develop as a result of various nutrient deficiencies. When your body cannot make enough healthy red blood cells due to a vitamin B12 deficiency, the condition is medically referred to as pernicious anemia.
Causes
The cells in your stomach, called parietal cells, produce a protein called intrinsic factor. For your small intestine to properly absorb vitamin B12, the vitamin must bind to intrinsic factor. Some people do not produce enough intrinsic factor, so they cannot absorb vitamin B12. People who cannot produce intrinsic factor will develop a vitamin B12 deficiency no matter how much of the vitamin they eat. Lack of intrinsic factor can occur as a result of an autoimmune disease that destroys the parietal cells or surgical removal of all or part of the stomach.
Anemia caused by a vitamin B12 deficiency can also result from a bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine, digestive diseases, certain medications, a tapeworm infection and surgical removal of all or part of the small intestine. In some cases, vitamin B12 deficiency can occur as a result of inadequate dietary intake. Because your body has the ability to store years' worth of vitamin B12, this cause is rare, according to MayoClinic.com.
Symptoms
Your red blood cells deliver oxygen to and remove carbon dioxide from all of your tissues. Those with pernicious anemia lack healthy red blood cells, so oxygen cannot be delivered properly. As a result, fatigue and shortness of breath are often the first symptoms of pernicious anemia. As the condition progresses, you may experience dizziness, headache, cold hands and feet and paleness in your skin, nails and gums. Digestive symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, heartburn, bloating, flatulence, constipation, diarrhea and loss of appetite, may also occur.
Because vitamin B12 plays a role in keeping your nervous system healthy, chronic vitamin B12 deficiency can also lead to nerve damage. Nerve damage manifests as muscle weakness, loss of reflexes, tingling and numbness in your extremities, difficulty walking, loss of balance, confusion and memory loss.
Treatment
Treatment for pernicious anemia differs based on the cause of the deficiency. If you lack intrinsic factor, the only way to restore your vitamin B12 levels is to receive vitamin B12 intravenously. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute notes that injections are usually given every day or once a week until B12 levels return to normal and then reduced to once per month. This type of treatment is often a lifetime commitment.
If your anemia is mild or caused by a condition other than a lack of intrinsic factor, treatment usually consists of oral supplementation of vitamin B12.
Considerations
Intravenous injections and oral supplementation of vitamin B12 can only correct the vitamin B12 deficiency and its symptoms, not the underlying cause of pernicious anemia. It is important to work with your health care provider to determine what is causing the anemia and take steps to treat that condition as well.
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