Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Vitamin B12 deficiency history and symptoms
Introduction
Overview
Overview
History and Symptoms
History and Symptoms
Early symptoms
- Tiredness
- Decreased mental work capacity
- Decreased concentration and memory
- Irritability and depression
- Sleep disturbances because B12 involved in the regulation of the sleep wake cycle by the pineal gland (through melatonin).[1]
Neurological signs
- Sensory disturbances due to damage to peripheral nerves caused by demyelination and irreversible nerve cell death
- Numbness
- Tingling
- Ataxic gait
- Subacute combined degeneration of spinal cord
- mania and psychosis.[2][3]
- Bipolar disorder appears to genetically co-segregate with the hereditary B12-deficiency disorder pernicious anemia.[4][5]
References
References
- ↑ Hashimoto S, Kohsaka M, Morita N, Fukuda N, Honma S, Honma K (1996). “Vitamin B12 enhances the phase-response of circadian melatonin rhythm to a single bright light exposure in humans”. Neurosci. Lett. 220 (2): 129–32. PMID 8981490.
- ↑ Sethi NK, Robilotti E, Sadan Y (2005). “Neurological Manifestations Of Vitamin B-12 Deficiency”. The Internet Journal of Nutrition and Wellness. 2 (1).
- ↑ Masalha R, Chudakov B, Muhamad M, Rudoy I, Volkov I, Wirguin I (2001). “Cobalamin-responsive psychosis as the sole manifestation of vitamin B12 deficiency”. Israeli Medical Association Journal. 3: 701–703.
- ↑ Reading CM. (1979). “X-linked dominant manic-depressive illness: Linkage with Xg blood-group, red-green color-blindness and vitamin-B12 deficiency”. Orthomolecular Psychiatry. 8: 68–77.
- ↑ Reading CM. (1975). “Latent pernicious anemia: A preliminary report”. Medical Journal of Australia. 40: 91–4.
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]