New Member Post

[GromitSJ]

I am new here. Diagnosed with borderline B12 and Positive Intrinsic Factor Antibodies, last year. Receiving three monthly injections, after six loading doses.

Would a Methylmalonic Acid (MMA) test reveal a more accurate reflection of my B12 status? I know a Active & Serum B12 blood test will be skewed.

Many thanks in advance.

[taka Administrator]

Welcome!

Once you are on B12 injections your MMA levels should be normal (unless you have a B12 functional deficiency), so for most people, testing this now is unlikely to show anything helpful. MMA can also be falsely raised in kidney disease, small bowel bacterial overgrowth and haemoconcentration.

Sadly none of the tests are very helpful at getting an accurate measure of what is going on which is why the guidelines talk about treating the symptoms not just going by the numbers.

[Foggyme Administrator]

Hi GromitSJ. Just wondering why you are wanting to check B12 status? Levels of serum B12 are meaningless once treatment has been started.

Is it that you're still having symptoms despite B12 injections...neurological Symptoms? Or symtpoms returning before next injection due?

If this is the case, you might not be on the correct B12 regime. Those with neurological symtpoms need a more intensive regime of B12 injections - and many GP's have never heard of it.

I see you're new to pernicious aneamia and not sure how much you've found out yet - it's quite a complicated and tricky condition 😖😄.

So...I'm going to paste in some links at the bottom of this reply - they will take you to the main things you need to know (for a start 🙃) about PA and the vitamin B12 deficency it causes.

You've come to the right place for help and support...lots of lovely forum members who will pop in to help you, whenever needed.

So...here's the links...you may have lots of questions when you've finished reading so...new posts whenever you like 👍

(Excuse if you've seen all this before...)

LINKS TO INFORMATION AND GUIDELINES

evidence.nhs.uk/formulary/b... (BNF B12 Deficiency: Hydroxocobalamin Treatment Regimes)

pernicious-anaemia-society.... (PAS Symptom Checklist)

stichtingb12tekort.nl/weten... (BSH B12 Deficiency / PA Diagnostic Flowchart)

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi... (British Society Haematology (BSH) Guidelines: Treatment of B12 Deficiency and Folate Disorders)

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi... (UKNEQAS B12 Treatment Alert, Neurological Symptoms and Risk of Subacute Combined Degeneration of the Spinal Cord)

stichtingb12tekort.nl/weten... (Problems with Serum B12 Test)

stichtingb12tekort.nl/weten... (Testing B12 During Treatment)

stichtingb12tekort.nl/weten... (Misconceptions About B12 Deficiency – Good to Know Before Seeing GP)

stichtingb12tekort.nl/weten... (B12 Treatment Safety / Long Term Treatment for neurological symptoms)

stichtingb12tekort.nl/weten... (B12 Deficiency and/or Neurological Symptoms Can Present Without Macrocytosis (leave red blood cells) or confirmed PA Diagnosis)

stichtingb12tekort.nl/weten... (Methylmalonic Acid – MMA)

stichtingb12tekort.nl/weten... (B12 Deficiency and Neuropsychiatric Symptoms)

👍