Vitamin B12 deficiency is usually progressive, meaning that it may take years to develop. And when it does the symptoms may manifest differently for different people, depending upon age, gender and genetic vulnerabilities of its victims. The severity of the Signs & Symptoms of Vitamin B12 Deficiency will also depend upon the duration and severity of the deficiency itself.
So while everyone of its victims may not have the all the symptoms listed below, they will have some of them.
Note: If you feel you have any of the symptoms listed below, it may not necessarily mean that you have a B12 deficiency. But we encourage you to approach your doctor to rule out any B12 deficiency.
Contents
Neurological Signs & Symptoms of Vitamin B12 Deficiency:
- Loss of sensitivity with regards to touch, pain or temperature.
- Frequent complains of abnormal sensations such as pain, tingling or numbness of body parts.
- Weakness of specific limb or other body part (arms, leg, trunk or any other area)
- Tremors (Of hands or body)
- Spasticity of muscles i.e. stiffness or random tightening of muscles.
- Awkward or stiff body movements (clumsy movement)
- loss of awareness of body position.
- Any symptoms mimicking Multiple Sclerosis
- Any symptoms mimicking Parkinson’s Disease
- Lack of urinary and/or bowel control
- Paralysis
- Decreased vision or loss of vision
- Any damage to the optic nerve
Mental Signs & Symptoms of Vitamin B12 Deficiency:
- Memory Loss
- Depression
- Hallucinations
- Violent Behaviour
- Apathy
- Irritability
- Personality Changes
- Dementia and/or intellectual deterioration
- Excessive sleepiness or excessive tiredness
- Any development delay in children
- Any autistic behaviour in children
Vascular Challenges due to Vitamin B12 Deficiency:
- Palpitation
- Low blood pressure on standing, which can cause falls and waiting spells
- Congestive Heart Failure
- Mini-Strokes
- Stroke (Cerebral Vascular Accident)
- Heart Attack (Myocardial Infraction)
- Blood clot in the arm or leg (deep vein thrombosis)
- Blood Clot of the Lung (Pulmonary embolism)
Other Possible Signs & Symptoms due to Vitamin B12 deficiency:
- Chronic fatigue, tiredness
- Symptoms mimicking fibromyalgia
- Unexplained shortness of breath
- Unexplained loss of appetite.
- Unexplained weight loss or Anorexia
- Poor Digestion, feeling full after an inadequate meal, or feeling bloated.
- Any gastrointestinal problem such as chronic constipation or chronic diarrhoea
- Failure to thrive in new borns and infants
- Recurrent infections
- Osteoporosis
- Dark or Light patches of skin (vitiligo or hyper pigmentation)
- Prematurely gray hair
- Tinnitus (Ringing of the ears, one or both)
- Mouth ulcers
- Sore Red tongue
Not all people will have all of these symptoms, but if you are familiar with even 3 or 4 symptoms in every section we encourage you to rule out any vitamin B12 deficiency before pursuing other forms of treatment.
As I have mentioned before not all supplements are created equal. So while the market has many types of vitamin B12 such as HydroxylCobalamin, MethylCobalamin, CyanoCobalamin, AdenosylCobalamin, which is the best form? Which is the most absorbable? Which will impact you faster? All this questions are answered in my previous post How to Choose Best Vitamin B12 Supplements to Recover from Deficiency.
