What does vitamin b12 do?
Vitamin B12 is a nutrient that aids in the health of your blood and nerve cells, as well as the production of DNA, the genetic material found in all of your cells. Vitamin B12 also aids in the prevention of megaloblastic anemia, a blood disorder that causes fatigue and weakness.
Cause of b12 deficiency inside the body
Atrophic gastritis
When the stomach lining has been inflamed for several years, atrophic gastritis (AG) develops. The most common cause of inflammation is a bacterial infection caused by the H. pylori bacteria.
Chronic atrophic autoimmune gastritis is an autoimmune condition that causes hypochlorhydria and intrinsic factor insufficiency due to gradual parietal cell death. Vitamin B12 insufficiency and iron malabsorption may result from these changes.
Pernicious anemia
Vitamin B12 anemia is known as pernicious anemia. Vitamin B12 is required for the production of red blood cells in the body. Meat, poultry, shellfish, eggs, and dairy products are good sources of this vitamin.
One cause of vitamin B12 deficiency anemia is pernicious anemia. It’s thought to be caused mostly by an autoimmune disease that prevents a person from producing a chemical called intrinsic factor in the stomach.
Crohn diseases
Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel illness that affects the intestines. It promotes digestive tract inflammation, which can cause stomach pain, severe diarrhea, exhaustion, weight loss, and starvation.
Because the terminal ileum is frequently involved in Crohn’s disease, it is a risk factor for vitamin B12 insufficiency. Traditional B12 deficiency screening using serum B12 is insensitive because it measures total B12 levels, of which only a small percentage is in a physiologically active state.
Lupus
Lupus is an autoimmune illness in which your immune system assaults your own tissues and organs (autoimmune disease). Lupus-related inflammation can impact your joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart, and lungs, among other body systems.
Even if you eat lots of vitamin B12, if you have lupus or another autoimmune illness, your b12 levels may be lower than they should be. According to one study, Low blood levels of b12 may be common in persons with lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriatic arthritis, according to one study.
