Vitamin B12 or folate deficiency anaemia
Overview
Vitamin B12 or B9 (commonly called folate) deficiency anaemia occurs when a lack of vitamin B12 or folate causes the body to produce abnormally large red blood cells that cannot function properly.
Symptoms
Vitamin B12 and folate perform several important functions in the body, including keeping the nervous system healthy. A deficiency in either of these vitamins can cause a wide range of problems, including: extreme tirednessa lack of energypins and needlesa sore and red tonguemouth ulcersmuscle weaknessproblems with your visionpsychological problems, which can range from milddepressionor anxiety to confusion and dementiaproblems with memory, understanding and judgement Some of these problems can also happen if you have a deficiency in vitamin B12 or folate but do not have anaemia.
Causes
There are a number of problems that can lead to a vitamin B12 or folate deficiency. These include: pernicious anaemia – where your immune system attacks healthy cells in your stomach, preventing your body absorbing vitamin B12 from the food you eat; this is the most common cause of vitamin B12 deficiency in the UKa lack of these vitamins in your diet – this is uncommon, but can happen if you have avegan dietand do not take vitamin B12 supplements or eat foods fortified with vitamin B12 , follow a restrictive diet or have a generally poor diet for a long timemedicine – certain medicines, including anticonvulsants and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), can affect how much of these vitamins your body absorbs Both vitamin B12 deficiency and folate deficiency are more common in older people, affecting around 1 in 10 people aged 75 or over and 1 in 20 people aged 65 to 74.
Treatment
B12 injections; Folic acid tablets.
Prevention
Balanced diet (meat/fish/eggs for B12; greens for Folate).
When to see a doctor
See a GP if you think you may have a vitamin B12 or folate deficiency. These conditions can often be diagnosed based on your symptoms and the results of a blood test. It's important for vitamin B12 or folate deficiency anaemia to be diagnosed and treated as soon as possible. This is because although many of the symptoms improve with treatment, some problems caused by the condition can be irreversible.