The vitamin B12 deficiency it makes us susceptible to heart attacks, Alzheimer’s, infectious diseases, (…) and there are even those who associate low levels of vitamin B12 with depressive disorders. When this is scarce in our body, it quickly manifests itself in fatigueweakness, loss of appetiteproblems of Balance and constipation. In addition to all of the above, a correct dose of vitamin B12 in the body and in our diet helps to avoid any type of anemia, heart failure, permanent nerve damage, cognitive impairment, etc. Namely, it is not a trivial problem.
:quality(65)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/larazon/I2VN7TC6O5CXZNMFCE4DJHN7HI.jpg)
B12 deficiency is one of the most common nutritional deficienciesespecially in some groups, such as the vegans. Our body does not produce this element on its own, so you must acquire it by consuming -mainly- food of animal originsuch as meat, eggs, fish, or dairy products. It is also very common in diabetics and the elderly who -because of their condition- usually take antibiotics or medications… that alter stomach acidity and prevent proper absorption of this vitamin. Also, some conditions such as celiac disease, Chron’s disease or alcoholism, also cause an absorption problem.
In all these cases, those affected must make up for the deficit of this vitamin in an “artificial” way. And to do so, they must consume tablets in capsules or receive regular injections.
When is the injection necessary?
The people who are prescribed injections of cyanocobalamin or B12 most often tend to be those with severe or pernicious anemia and those with genetic or post-surgical conditions that block absorption. Although -in specific cases- it is also used to identify the tolerance problems of our body to this substance. And it is that, this is one of the most common problems associated with B12 deficiency (that the body is unable to absorb the vitamin in the intestine). Treatment is also often recommended for patients with methylmalonic aciduria, which is an inherited disease that prevents the natural breakdown of proteins. In some cases, it is also recommended to give an injection of B12 for newborns who have not yet developed this hereditary disease.
The most common way to identify a patient’s vitamin B12 levels is by blood serum test… although it is not an analysis that offers a very precise diagnosis. These tests often produce inaccurate results, because our body stores excess vitamin in the liver and -therefore- that surplus does not reach the bloodstream. Likewise, the consumption of large amounts of folic acid can also mask the deficiency. Therefore, instead of the blood serum test, experts recommend an MMA test (methylmalonic acid), which will give a more complete and reliable image of the real levels of vitamin B12 in our body.
:quality(65)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/larazon/UJLQENA4LNH4XIT7WBDHFWIVYI.jpeg)
It is considered that there is a deficiency of vitamin B12 in the blood when it is less than 74 pmol/L or 100 ng/L. Several injections are usually given in a row at the beginning in order to recover the body’s deposits and, later, one is usually given. intramuscular injection every so often. Treatment must be maintained for life. As for the frequency of treatment, it will vary from a weekly to a monthly dosedepending on the degree of vitamin B12 deficiency of each patient.
#vitamin #B12 #injections
