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B12 & folate deficiency

Deficientia vitamini B12 et acidi folici · Nedostatek vitaminu B12 a kyseliny listové

What it is

Without B12 blood cells enlarge and the spinal cord degenerates.

Symptoms & signs

  • Fatigue
  • sore smooth tongue
  • tingling feet
  • balance loss
  • memory problems
  • pallor

🚩 Get help if…

  • see a doctor soon Numbness or tingling in the hands or feet
  • see a doctor soon Unsteady walking, worse in the dark
  • see a doctor soon Memory problems, confusion or low mood
  • see a doctor soon Breathlessness or a racing heart on mild effort

Where it strikes

Medical treatment

  • B12 injections (hydroxocobalamin) or high-dose oral
  • folic acid
  • treat pernicious anaemia lifelong
  • check intrinsic factor antibodies

Natural & lifestyle

  • Animal foods or fortified plant milks
  • supplement if vegan, over 60, or on metformin/PPIs

Emerging & experimental

  • Sublingual and nasal formulations
  • genetic transporter testing

Alternative, off-label & anecdotal

Approaches used outside the guidelines, with what their supporters report and what testing has found so far.

  • Spirulina and seaweed as B12 sources — mostly inactive look-alikes that do not correct deficiency not confirmed in trials
  • 'Methyl' B12 forms for MTHFR variants — marketed as better absorbed; no evidence they beat ordinary B12 anecdotal / traditional

ICD codes