Anemia is a general term for a condition in which your blood does not contain enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate amounts of oxygen to your body tissues. The proper formation of red blood cells relies heavily on the right amounts of various nutrients, including iron, folate and vitamin B12, in your body. Because vitamin B12 is one of the essential factors in proper red blood cell formation, a deficiency in vitamin B12 can lead to a specific anemia referred to as megaloblastic, or pernicious, anemia.
Megaloblastic Anemia
Megaloblastic, or pernicious, anemia is characterized by larger than normal red blood cells. In addition to their large shape, the red blood cells associated with megaloblastic anemia also have underdeveloped hemoglobin, the iron-rich protein that carries oxygen. If hemoglobin is not fully developed, it cannot properly bind oxygen. According to the Children's Hospital of Boston, megaloblastic red blood cells also have a shorter life expectancy, usually dying earlier than the 120 days that it takes healthy red blood cells.
Causes
One of the most common causes of vitamin B12 deficiency, and resulting megaloblastic anemia, is a lack of intrinsic factor, which is a protein produced by the parietal cells in your stomach. The proper absorption of vitamin B12 depends on the presence of intrinsic factor. Without this protein, your body cannot absorb vitamin B12 no matter how much you eat.
A vitamin B12 deficiency may also occur as a result of digestive diseases that interfere with absorption, such as Crohn's disease or celiac disease, or from infections in the small intestine. Although it is possible for a vitamin B12 deficiency to develop from a lack of vitamin B12 in the diet, this cause is less common and usually occurs in strict vegetarians or vegans.
Symptoms
Similar to all types of anemia, the initial symptoms of anemia caused by vitamin B12 deficiency include fatigue, shortness of breath, loss of appetite, pale skin, light-headedness, constipation or diarrhea and difficulty concentrating. Because vitamin B12 plays a role in keeping your nerves healthy, a vitamin B12 deficiency can eventually lead to nerve damage. If you do not seek treatment for anemia during the early stages, you may experience confusion, loss of balance, numbness and tingling in the hands and feet, and depression. Some people develop such severe nerve damage that it causes difficulty walking.
Prevention
Increasing your dietary intake of foods that are rich in vitamin B12 can prevent vitamin B12 deficiency. The only sources of naturally occurring vitamin B12 are foods that come from animals, such as meat, shellfish, poultry, eggs, milk, cheese and yogurt. Manufacturers often add synthetic vitamin B12 to fortified soy milk and enriched cereals.
If your body does not produce intrinsic factor, no amount of vitamin B12 in the diet will prevent pernicious anemia because your body cannot physically digest the vitamin. The only way to prevent pernicious anemia from recurring is to maintain treatment and receive regular injections of vitamin B12.
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