Main menu

Pages

Symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency in the body and what leads to its low levels

 In this article, we will learn about the most important symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency, as vitamin B12 is one of the most important and most important types of vitamins for the body. In the manufacture of vitamin B12, a person must obtain it from certain types of food.


How does vitamin B12 deficiency occur?

In general, the human body cannot store quantities of vitamin B12, so a person needs to eat foods that contain it regularly. Adults need about 2.4 micrograms of vitamin B12 per day.

Presence of Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin found in foods of animal sources, such as; Red meat, poultry, eggs, dairy, and fish.

If a person does not eat animal products, they will need to add plant sources of vitamin B12 to their diet. include; Cereals, vegetable milk, bread, and nutritional yeast. And care must be taken to have a source of it so that symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency do not occur.

Symptoms of Vitamin B12 deficiency in the body

Lack of healthy blood cells

Vitamin B12 plays a key role in the process of manufacturing blood cells in general and red blood cells in particular, so when a deficiency of vitamin B12 occurs, healthy blood cells decrease and the numbers of immature blood cells increase and are unable to perform their tasks such as transporting oxygen to body tissues, which is what It is called anemia caused by vitamin B12 deficiency, which appears clearly when performing a complete blood picture analysis.

Tingling feeling in the hands or feet

Vitamin B12 helps the nervous system produce a substance called myelin. It is a protective layer that protects the nerves and helps them transmit sensations.

When vitamin B12 deficiency occurs, people may not produce enough myelin to cover their nerves. Without this coating, the symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency appear in the person having problems with nerve conduction, which may lead to nerve damage. The person begins to feel what feels like tingling or "pinching" in the hands or feet.

walking difficulties

If vitamin B12 deficiency continues for a long time and without treatment, nerve damage may increase significantly, which may reach some of the main peripheral nerves responsible for movement. The person begins to feel numbness in the legs and weakness in the muscles and reflexes and becomes unable to move normally without support.

Paleness and yellowing of the face

One of the symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency is that a person's body is unable to produce enough red blood cells. Which is usually responsible for giving our skin its natural pink color. Without enough of these cells, the skin may look pale.

In some cases, the body produces weak and rapidly degrading red blood cells, which the liver breaks down quickly, stores iron, and releases bilirubin into the blood, which is deposited on the skin and gives it a distinctive yellow color.

Increased heart rate

When the number of red blood cells drops, the heart may begin to beat faster to compensate for the reduced number of red blood cells in the body.

Where anemia puts a burden on the heart to push more blood into the body to make sure that enough oxygen reaches all the body's systems and it is one of the most obvious symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency.

Oral infections

Vitamin B12 deficiency may cause mouth infections, which may include:

  • glossitis
  • swollen tongue
  • and mouth ulcers

Burning sensation in the mouth

These symptoms are caused by low numbers of red blood cells, resulting in less oxygen reaching the tongue.

You are now in the first article

Commentaires