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Vitamin B-12 Deficiency & Swollen Hands

Aug 23, 2011 | By Frankie Smith

Vitamin B-12 is a vitamin found in many foods as well as in supplement form. A deficiency in this vitamin might occur if your dietary intake is too low, because this vitamin is not stored in your body. Your body requires vitamin B-12 to produce healthy red blood cells and for delivering oxygen to cells throughout your body. Numerous symptoms, including swelling in your hands, might occur if you have too little vitamin B-12.

Vitamin B-12

Vitamin B-12 exists in several forms. Each form contains cobalt, giving them the collective name "cobalamins." Vitamin B-12 contributes to the proper production of red blood cells, metabolism, DNA synthesis and neurological function, reports the Office of Dietary Supplements. This vitamin is water-soluble, meaning that it dissolves in water. After your body uses what it needs, excess vitamin B-12 is expelled through your urine. Your body stores approximately a year's worth of vitamin B-12, making deficiency rare, according to MayoClinic.com.

Deficiency

Side effects might occur if you are deficient in vitamin B-12. These side effects might be experienced differently depending on the underlying cause of the deficiency and duration. Typical symptoms associated with vitamin B-12 deficiency include tingling in hands or feet, weakness and difficulties with balance, reports the University of Maryland Medical Center. You may also experience symptoms, such as confusion, weight loss, swollen tongue and shortness of breath.

Liver and Kidneys

The two conditions, edema and vitamin B-12 deficiency, may occur together depending on the underlying cause or causes. Vitamin B-12 deficiencies occur more frequently in those who suffer from alcoholism, as is liver cirrhosis. The development of swelling in your extremities, or edema, may be attributed to liver cirrhosis. MedlinePlus reports the use of vitamin B-12 as a complementary treatment of kidney and liver diseases, both conditions cited by MayoClinic.com as being potential causes of edema.

Nutrition and Heart

Poor nutrition, either by poor diet or a disorder affecting absorption, can cause both vitamin B-12 deficiency and edema. Certain conditions, such as celiac disease, may contribute to malnutrition, potentially prompting both vitamin B-12 deficiency and edema. Edema and B-12 deficiency both have a connection to heart disease. Vitamin B-12 lowers levels of homocysteine in your blood, protecting you from heart disease. While heart disease is a potential cause of swelling in your extremities. Edema occurs in those with heart disease, when your body is no longer able to pump blood effectively.

References

Article reviewed by Helen Covington Last updated on: Aug 23, 2011

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