Good morning friends,
Thanks for all the encouragement to my previous newsletter of iron deficiency anemia. Today I will try and explain anemia and Vitamin B12 deficiency.
Last month a 48 year old gentleman came to our Lotus Hematology clinic with complaints of weight loss and getting tired easily. I had treated his wife for a disease called Immune thrombocytopenic purpura where our platelet count is low and bleeding is the symptom (his wife was accompanying him).
His symptoms were present since 4 months and his wife said that his memory was fading now a days (apparently he forgot to wish her on their marriage anniversary!) His diet was predominantly vegetarian with eggs.
Weight loss is a worrying problem and few obvious causes are Diabetes , thyroid disorders, poor diet and one we are always worried about “Malignancy”!
On examination our patient has reduced muscle mass and looked weak. Blood investigations revealed Hemoglobin of 12.8 (normal is above 14 gm/dl). His Vitamin B12 level was 92.2 only (normal range 211-918). He had Vitamin B12 deficiency causing weight loss and mild anaemia, weakness.
Vitamin B12 is an important component of our body system. It is specifically required for nervous system, blood cells and muscle cells. The only way to procure it is by food intake. It is only available from animal products, so the only way pure vegetarians can get it is by way of milk and milk products!
So if you are pure vegetarian please donot forget to consume milk!
We all have “good” bacteria in our intestine which also produces VitB12 which is available to us and if we fail to “protect” them we can get deficient in VitB12. We can help protect our good bacteria by eating healthy food and unprocessed food.
Treatment is very easy and not expensive. Injections are traditional way but can be painful or oral tablets and strips are also now available with equal efficacy.
Take home message:
1. Pure vegetarians should consume milk and milk products.
2. Healthy diet with raw foods and sprouts to “feed” the “good” bacteria in our intestine.
3. Timely visit to your doctor and treatment where essential.
Have a great day to day1
Dr. Pritesh Junagade
Director, Lotus institute of Hematology, Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation.
August 2023
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