Symptom Guide For Vitamin B12 Deficiency

What would happen if the level of vitamin B12 in an individual's body drops? Consider the following case. A publication in the New England Journal of Medicine reviews the case of a sixty-two-year-old man who was taken to the Massachusetts General Hospital with weight loss, paresthesias, jaundice, and anemia. According to the report, the patient had been well until two months before his admission at the hospital when he started developing numbness and burning sensation in his hands, began turning yellow, and breathing became extremely difficult.

The cause of these symptoms on the patient was lack of vitamin B12, also known as the energy vitamin. The symptoms would have become worse if the patient hadn't received proper treatment on time. Everyone's body needs vitamin B12 to make and protect nerves, red blood cells, DNA and also carry out other critical functions. On average, an adult should consume 2.4 micrograms of vitamin B12 each day. Our bodies can't manufacture vitamin B12, and thus, we must obtain it from the diet or supplements. Get familiar with the details regarding the warning signs of a vitamin B12 deficiency now.

Heart Palpitations

Having heart palpitations can cause anxiety and stress, but these rapid heartbeats do not usually indicate there is a heart issue present. Mostly, rapid heartbeats are associated with psychological causes such as stress and anxiety, or dietary issues. Heart palpitations refer to episodes where individuals have an excessively fast heartbeat for some time. Technically, the heart is considered palpitating when it beats more than one hundred times per minute. When these rapid heartbeats happen, individuals will feel their heart pounding on their chest. If individuals put their fingers on their neck, they will notice an abnormally strong pulse.

These palpitations can be extremely scary especially if they occur while individuals rest. Besides psychological and dietary issues, these palpitations may be caused by hypothyroidism and a lack of vitamin B12. Low levels of vitamin B12 can trigger an increase in the level of homocysteine in the blood, a common amino acid that increases toxicity in the blood and impairs the functioning of the heart. Vitamin B12 helps regulate the levels of homocysteine in the blood.