Chronic pancreatitis refers to long term inflammation of the pancreas. This vital organ secretes the digestive hormones insulin and glucagon, and other enzymes needed to break down food. In certain cases of chronic pancreatitis, patients may develop the inability to absorb certain vitamins, which results in a deficiency. While this can occur in the case of vitamin B-12, it is considered rare.
Causes
Excessive alcohol intake remains the top risk factor for chronic pancreatitis, according to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse. Other common causes include cystic fibrosis -- a hereditary lung disease -- blockages in the bile or pancreatic ducts, thyroid problems, a malfunctioning immune system, high levels of fats in the blood and long term use of certain medications including corticosteroids.
B-12 Malabsorption
Typically, vitamin malabsorption as a result of chronic pancreatitis affects the fat soluble vitamins such as vitamin A, vitamin D and vitamin K, according to Pub Med Health. However, research reveals malabsorption of vitamin B-12 in roughly 30 per cent of all cases of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency -- wherein patients lose the ability to digest food -- a common complication of chronic pancreatitis. Even so, vitamin B-12 deficiency itself is rarely observed in these cases, according to researchers from the University of Nancy in France, for reasons that researchers cannot definitively explain. One theory is that vitamin B-12 may be absorbed via another route in the small intestine. The results of this study appeared in the September 1990 issue of the journal "Pancreas."
Treatment
Chronic pancreatitis represents a serious health threat, according to Pub Med Health, and may involve hospital stays of some duration and feeding tubes to rest the pancreas and give it time to heal. However, the organ damage that chronic pancreatitis causes often in irreversible, and in some cases, all or part of the pancreas may need to be removed. Where a vitamin B-12 deficiency due to vitamin malabsorption is suspected, the treatment typically involves a vitamin B-12 injection into a muscle two to four times a week or until blood levels of vitamin B-12 rise.
Warning
A vitamin B-12 deficiency can lead to serious health complications, including pernicious anemia, wherein the blood does not deliver enough oxygen to the cells. According to Monique Kahn, M.S., R.D. of the NYU Langone Medical Center, some of the most common symptoms of pernicious anemia caused by a vitamin B-12 deficiency include numbness and tingling, confusion, depression, dizziness and rapid heartbeat. If you have chronic pancreatitis and any of these symptoms apply to your case, seek medical attention immediately.
References
- NYU Langone Medical Center; Vitamin B12 Deficiency; Monique Kahn, M.S., R.D. et al.; September 2010
- Pub Med Health; Chronic Pancreatitis; George F. Longstreth, M.D. et al.; January 2010
- National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse; Pancreatitis; July 2008
- Pancreas; Malabsorption of vitamin B12 in pancreatic insufficiency of the adult and of the child; J.L. Guéant et al.; September 1990
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