UMEM Educational Pearls

Title: Vitamin B12 Deficiency: Part 2

Keywords: B12 deficiency, ataxia, dementia, pernicious anemia (PubMed Search)

Posted: 1/4/2017 by Jon Mark Hirshon, PhD, MPH, MD
Click here to contact Jon Mark Hirshon, PhD, MPH, MD

Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause significant disease, including severe neurologic problems. However, patient presentations can vary greatly.

Signs and symptoms can include:

Constitutional symptoms: fatigue, lack of energy, lightheadedness, loss of appetite
Gastrointestinal problems: diarrhea or constipation
Cardiovascular: shortness of breath, dyspnea on exertion, tachycardia, CHF
Oral lesions: swollen, red tongue (glossitis) or bleeding gums
Problems concentrating

Prolonged B12 deficiency can lead to significant neurologic complications, frequently related to the spinal cord, and can include: