The main cause of anaemia is a lack of vitamin B12 in your blood – pernicious anaemia is a condition where the body can’t absorb vitamin B12, which leads to a deficiency. This is the most common cause of vitamin B12 in the UK which is easily treated with regular injections of the vitamin. Blood is made up of a combination of red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and proteins. The red blood cells are made in the bone marrow, of which millions are released every day into the bloodstream. The body needs a constant supply of red blood cells every day in order to replace those which have broken down. These contain a chemical known as haemoglobin, which binds to oxygen to transport it from the lungs to elsewhere in the body. In order to make this effectively within the body, you need to have healthy bone marrow, as well as nutrients such as iron and certain vitamins, including vitamin B12. If you’re suffering with anaemia, you will either have fewer red blood cells than normal, or you will have less haemoglobin in each red blood cell than normal. Whichever form you have, this will result in less oxygen being carried around the bloodstream – this can be caused by a number of things, from a lack of iron to a deficiency in certain vitamins. Many people don’t realise just how important vitamin B12 is, but experts agree that it is essential for life. Without it, the body can’t make as many new red blood cells which means your health will suffer. Vitamin B12 is found in milk, eggs, meat and fish, but not in fruit or vegetables. This is why many vegetarians or vegans suffer with anaemia and need to ensure that they get their source of vitamin B12 from other sources, such as supplements.
The symptoms to look out for which may highlight whether you have anaemia are tiredness, lethargy, feeling faint or becoming breathless. Though rarer symptoms, some people notice headaches, palpitations, altered taste, a loss of appetite, or tinnitus which is a ringing in the ears. You may also look pale, due to a lack of red blood cells in your bloodstream. Because vitamin B12 is so vital for your body’s health, you may find that other cells in the body are affected by anaemia – for example, some other symptoms include a sore mouth and tongue. If the problem is left untreated, you may also find that there are problems with your nerves, such as numbness, vision problems, unsteadiness, confusion, or pins and needles. Usually when you eat foods which contain vitamin B12, the vitamin binds with a protein called intrinsic factor in the stomach. The combined nutrient is then absorbed by the body further down in the gut, at the end of the small intestine. Intrinsic factor is made by the cells in the lining of the stomach and is vital in order for vitamin B12 to be absorbed.
Pernicious anaemia is an autoimmune disease and leads to the antibodies attacking the intrinsic factor in the stomach, which stops it attaching to the vitamin B12. Researchers are unsure why the body triggers this attack. This form of anaemia is generally diagnosed in people over the age of 50, and occurs more commonly in women than men. People who have other autoimmune diseases, such as thyroid or Addison’s disease, are more likely to develop pernicious anaemia. There are even stomach problems which can cause vitamin B12 deficiency. Though they’re uncommon, they include surgery to remove the stomach or end of the small intestine which means that vitamin B12 isn’t possible; some diseases which affect the stomach, such as Crohn’s disease; some conditions in the stomach may also affect the production of intrinsic factor, such as atrophic gastritis which causes the lining of the stomach to thin.
Comments are closed.