It can begin as something as seemingly harmless as the "pins and needles" sensation similar to that you experience when a limb "falls asleep," but when tingling and numbness are associated with a vitamin B-12 deficiency, serious health repercussions can result. Maintaining an adequate level of B-12 in your body is necessary to keep your nervous system functioning properly. Tingling and numbness can indicate that you are deficient in vitamin B-12.
B-12 Deficiency
It can take years for the signs of a B-12 deficiency to become apparent, because your liver stores large amounts of this essential nutrient, according to the Merck Manuals Online Medical Library. Once those stores become depleted, however, your ability to create new red blood cells, synthesize DNA and maintain a functioning nervous system is dangerously compromised.
B-12 and Nerve Damage
According to the Linus Pauling Institute, the precise mechanism by which B-12 deficiency damages the nerves is unclear, but it is believed that inadequate levels of B-12 result in damage to the myelin sheath, an insulating layer that covers each nerve cell and aids in the efficient transmission of nerve impulses. The neurological symptoms of B-12 deficiency include tingling and numbness in the hands and feet. You may also experience nerve pain and psychiatric disorders due to B-12 deficiency.
Causes of Deficiency
It's wise to take a multivitamin with B-12, but often the cause of B-12 deficiency has more to do with an underlying health problem than with inadequate dietary consumption. Disorders that affect your ability to absorb nutrients from the food you eat, called malabsorption syndromes, are often the source of B-12 deficiencies. In one such condition, called pernicious anemia, your body lacks a specific enzyme that aids in B-12 absorption. Atrophic gastritis often affects the elderly, leaving them with inadequate gastric acids to properly digest food and absorb B-12.
Folate Masking B-12 Deficiency
An important factor to consider when discussing B-12 and nerve damage is the similarities between in the symptoms of B-12 deficiency and folate deficiency. Both of these conditions can cause megaloblastic anemia, a condition wherein your body produces abnormally large, immature red blood cells. If you have megaloblastic anemia, it is crucial that your doctor determine whether your condition is caused by lack of B-12 or lack of folate. Incorrect diagnosis could result in treating a B-12 deficiency with folate. This will clear up the megaloblastic anemia, but will do nothing to correct the nerve damage caused by B-12 deficiency, according to Lab Tests Online. If B-12 deficiency goes on too long without treatment, the damage it causes to your nerves can be irreversible.
References
- Merck Manuals Online Medical Library; Vitamin B12 (Cobalamins); Larry E. Johnson; August 2007
- Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University; Vitamin B-12; Jane Higdon; March 2003
- Lab Tests Online: B12 & Folate: The Test
- "American Family Physician"; Vitamin B12 Deficiency; Robert C. Oh, et al.
- Office of Dietary Supplements: Vitamin B12
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