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You are here : AllRefer.com > Health > Diseases & Conditions > Anemia - B12 Deficiency

Anemia - B12 Deficiency

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Definition

Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors

Symptoms & Signs

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Treatment

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Alternate Names : Macrocytic Anemia


Definition

Anemia is a drop in the number of red blood cells. This can be caused by a lack of vitamin B12.

Pictures & Images

Megaloblastic Anemia - View of Red Blood Cells
Megaloblastic Anemia - View of Red Blood Cells

 
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Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors

Vitamin B12 is essential for normal nervous system function and blood cell production. The main sources of vitamin B12 include meat, eggs, and dairy products. For vitamin B12 to be absorbed by the body, it must bind to intrinsic factor, a protein secreted by cells in the stomach.

Causes of vitamin B12 deficiency include:

  • A diet low in vitamin B12 (for example, a strict vegetarian diet excluding all meat, fish, dairy products, and eggs)
  • Chronic alcoholism
  • Abdominal or intestinal surgery that affects intrinsic factor production or absorption
  • Intestinal malabsorption disorders
  • Fish tape worm
  • Pernicious anemia, which is caused by a lack of intrinsic factor

The risk factors are related to the causes.



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Definition
Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors
Symptoms & Signs
Prevention
Diagnosis & Tests
Treatment
Prognosis
Complications
Calling Your Health Care Provider
Pictures & Images

Topics that might be of interest to you

Diseases & Conditions

Crohn's Disease
Malabsorption
Pernicious Anemia

Tests & Exams

Bone Marrow Aspiration
CBC
Hematocrit (HCT)
LDH
Pap Smear
Schilling Test

Other Topics

Appetite - Decreased
Babinski's Reflex
Balanced Diet
Breathing Difficulty
Central Nervous System
Chronic
Diarrhea
Fatigue
Intrinsic Factor
Numbness and Tingling
Paleness
Vitamin B12
Weakness

Review Date : 6/5/2003
Reviewed By : Ezra E. W. Cohen, M.D., Section of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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Page Last Updated: 23 Jul, 2008