Vitamin B12 deficiency
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What is vitamin B12 deficiency?
Vitamin B12, a water soluble vitamin, helps in the formation of red blood cells and in the maintenance of the central nervous system. Deficiency is due to inadequate dietary intake or impaired absorption of Vitamin B12 resulting in megaloblastic anemia due to inhibition in red blood cell production.
Common symptoms reported by people with vitamin B12 deficiency
Common symptoms
How bad it is
What people are taking for it
Reports may be affected by other conditions and/or medication side effects. We ask about general symptoms (anxious mood, depressed mood, fatigue, pain, and stress) regardless of condition.
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Treatments taken by people with vitamin B12 deficiency
Treatment name(s)
Type
How many have tried
Tried for
Data from patients with vitamin B12 deficiency, who reported starting treatments within the last 5 years.
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Compare treatments taken by people with vitamin B12 deficiency
Treatment name(s)
Perceived effectiveness
Side effects
Total evaluations
Tried for
Perceived effectiveness
for vitamin B12 deficiency (23 evaluations)
Side effects
diarrhea
Total evaluations
27
Tried for
vitamin B12 deficiency
(71)
fatigue
(2)
Perceived effectiveness
for vitamin B12 deficiency (31 evaluations)
Side effects
headaches
Total evaluations
32
Tried for
vitamin B12 deficiency
(45)
fatigue
(8)
Perceived effectiveness
for pain (9 evaluations)
Total evaluations
12
Tried for
pain
(15)
depressed mood
(1)
Perceived effectiveness
for vitamin B12 deficiency (4 evaluations)
Side effects
Total evaluations
5
Tried for
vitamin B12 deficiency
(14)
Perceived effectiveness
for pain (5 evaluations)
Side effects
chronic constipation
itching
Total evaluations
5
Tried for
pain
(12)
Perceived effectiveness
for anxious mood (4 evaluations)
Side effects
daytime sleepiness
excessive daytime sleepiness (somnolence)
Total evaluations
4
Tried for
anxious mood
(12)
Perceived effectiveness
for anxious mood (2 evaluations)
Side effects
agitation
tiredness increased
Total evaluations
2
Tried for
anxious mood
(10)
Perceived effectiveness
for depressed mood (5 evaluations)
Total evaluations
9
Tried for
depressed mood
(7)
pain
(3)
- Major
- Moderate
- Slight
- None
- Can't tell
- Severe
- Moderate
- Mild
- None
Data from patients with vitamin B12 deficiency, who reported starting treatments within the last 5 years.
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Who has vitamin B12 deficiency on PatientsLikeMe?
- 1122 patients have this condition
- 3 new patients joined this month
- 125 say vitamin B12 deficiency is their primary condition
| Age | Proportion | # of patients |
|---|---|---|
| <20 | 4 | |
| 20s | 59 | |
| 30s | 151 | |
| 40s | 333 | |
| 50s | 322 | |
| 60s | 168 | |
| 70+ | 43 |
| Age at first symptom | Proportion | # of patients |
|---|---|---|
| 0-19 years | 35 | |
| 20-29 years | 81 | |
| 30-39 years | 125 | |
| 40-49 years | 105 | |
| 50-59 years | 49 | |
| 60-69 years | 8 | |
| 70+ years | 2 |
Distribution of sex
| Sex | Proportion | # of patients |
|---|---|---|
| Male | 140 | |
| Female | 942 |
| Diagnosis status | Proportion | # of patients |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnosed | 613 | |
| Not Diagnosed | 29 |
These charts show data from vitamin B12 deficiency patients who have completed their condition history
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