Hi
I was diagnosed with b12 deficiency 3 years ago but I do not have PA (as far as I know) - have I possibly got this to look forward to or is b12 deficiency a separate condition?
If it is a separate condition why do so many people with PA also have a b12 deficiency?
Pernicious Anaemia is a common cause of B12 deficiency, but it's not the only one. It's perfectly possible to have a B12 deficiency without having PA, but quite possibly a lot of people have PA and are undiagnosed, because the test for it is notoriously unreliable and gives a lot of false negatives.
In terms of treatment, it's just the same, unless the deficiency was caused by a dietary lack, in which case tablets may sort out the issue adequately. If the B12 deficiency is caused by an absorption problem, then injections are given, the same as if it's caused by PA.
Pernicious Anaemia is just one of the causes of vitamin B12 deficiency . It is incurable and must be treated with B12 injections for life ..It is an auto-immune condition which means that the body attacks itself . With PA , antibodies attack the stomach cells that produce substances which enable vitamin B12 to be extracted and absorbed from meat , fish , milk products and eggs , which are the only dietary sources of B12.
The lack in the diet of foods named, can cause B12 deficiency. But this can be remedied by adjusting the diet to include enough of those foods ( strict vegetarians and vegans are therefore suceptable if they do not supplement )
Surgery that removes a part of the stomach (gastrectomy ) can cause B12 deficiency , and other
Some medicines can reduce B12 absorption. -Antacids , PPIs, and diabetes medication Metformin.
Crohn’s disease and coeliac disease can affect B12 absorbtion
Fish tapeworm infestation can cause B12 deficiency .
Laughing gas ( nitrous oxide) is another cause There are even more causes than I have mentioned here .
As you see there are many reasons for B12 deficiency . We’re you not given the cause of your deficiency ? Were you treated for it ?
Thank you for your reply.
I am a vegetarian leaning towards vegan in the majority of my diet. I was prescribed omaprezole for acid reflux and had 6 monthly recurring prescriptions- I took the drug daily for about 4 years hence it is reasonable to speculate that the deficiency occurred through this route.
However, I received 6 injections of b12 over 6 weeks and now receive injections every 12 weeks.
My symptoms have been considerably different from PA sufferers and the doctors and nurses have refuted that some of my symptoms have emanated from b12 deficiency even though the symptoms are recorded on the NHS site.
My symptoms have reduced significantly in the past year and in the months so I was wondering if I was getting g better or simply moving into a different stage of the disease.
Thanks to your response I feel that I am most likely getting over my b12 deficiency and not likely to develop PA.
Can I ask what your symptoms were ? You said they were considerably different from most PA sufferers??? Also you mentioned Leaning toward being vegan- have you heard of B12 analogues? I have a link somewhere from a vegan site that explains it better than I will but certain foods contain B12 analogues which actually prevent the body from properly absorbing B12 . I will try and find the link ..
My early symptoms which preceded my b12 diagnosis, was memory loss and an inability to remember words - something that still happens but is much better.
I went to the doctor because of short attacks - about 10 seconds in duration - of blurred vision and bouts of semi consciousness in which loud tinnitus would occur - like the sound of the interference of old radios when caught between channels; these events ended in a form of audible hallucinations of disconnected voices saying nothing intelligible and and would with the feeling one has when waking from a dream which, while dreaming seemed make sense but made no sense on waking.
I also had total exhaustion and would have to go back to bed several times.
I’m mostly better now and only really suffer from moments of semi consciousness- I think they’re called absence seizures but the tinnitus and auditory hallucinations have not recurred for at least six months.
You might benefit from some extra injections or just taking B12 tablets . Always remember that B12 needs B9 (folate in food and folic acid in tablet form ) in order to work properly .
Thanks for your advice but, as a vegetarian, I think I consume enough b9. What does interest me in watching male friends who are omnivores is that they are pretty much carnivores! They hate raw vegetables leaving salad on their plates etc. Unless they are eating foods that have b9 added, they are likely to be deficient in b9 as, unlike b12, b9 cannot be stored and has to be replenished constantly.
As far as I have read, they will develop serious problems - as you have pointed out they two vitamins work in conjunction with one another.
the fact that you had problems with acid reflux may suggest that you actually have PA as the underlying cause as acid reflux is a symptom of low stomach acidity as well as high stomach acidity. PA can result in reduced stomach acidity and this can reduce B12 absorption. Unfortunately GP's are far to quick to treat symptoms without establishing the exact causes and there is very little about low stomach acidity in relation to general treatments.
It is likely that the lack of B12 in your diet and the omeprazole have contributed to accelerating the problems but I'd be very wary of anyone trying to tell you that it was just dietary in the first place. Do you notice any return of symptoms between shots?
Thank you for your response.
After the last injection - around 8 weeks ago - I had five days of symptoms but usually my symptoms return about 6/8 weeks after the injections.
Also i don't know if i have PA or not. I had low b12 and fatigue, gastroparesis, blurry vision etc. As soon as i started the b12 injections gastroparesis was gone and i could digest food properly. That was the most important thing because if you have gastroparesis you can't digest any vitamins properly , not just b12.
One of my symptoms was blurred vision but apart from acid reflux which, for me, is closely related to certain foods - especially cheese- I don’t have problems digesting food.
Hi,
Risk Factors for PA and B12 Deficiency
pernicious-anaemia-society....
b12deficiency.info/what-are...
b12deficiency.info/who-is-a...
My impression is that although a lot of doctors will consider testing for PA, they don't always consider other causes of b12 deficiency.
Coeliac disease
In UK, it is recommended that people with unexplained B12 deficiency, folate deficiency or iron deficiency, should have tests for Coeliac disease.
Two first line tests are recommended.
1) tTG IgA
2) Total IgA
My experience is that Total IgA test is not always done but I think it's an important test as people with IgA deficiency will need different tests for Coelaic disease.
NICE guidelines Coeliac Disease (2015 version)
nice.org.uk/guidance/ng20/c...
coeliac.org.uk/coeliac-dise...
H Pylori
H Pylori infection is another problem that may lead to b12 deficiency due to possibility of gastritis (inflammation of the stomach).
patient.info/health/dyspeps...
Fish tapeworm and other parasites
patient.info/doctor/cestode...
b12deficiency.info/blog/tag...
If people have ever eaten raw or undercooked fish or lived in an area where gut parasites are common then this might be a possibility.
It's possible to have more than one cause of b12 deficiency at the same time which I'm not convinced doctors always consider.
I am not medically trained.
Hello I believe pernicious anaemia leads to B12 defiency and not the other way around. B12 deficiency can be caused by a few things too but mainly that your body can't absorb B12, which is my case and why I need the injections rather than tablets.
LOW B12 is not always PA
PA and oral B12 supplements
B12/PA and lemon juice
Vit B12 readings OK but have symptoms of PA
B12 deficiency PA & alcohol 
