Biomaterial Database

Vitamin B12 deficiency. Recognizing subtle symptoms in older adults. 2003

T S Dharmarajan, and G U Adiga, and Edward P Norkus

New York Medical College, Valhaila, NY, USA.

Vitamin B12 deficiency is a common but under-recognized, yet easily treatable disorder in older adults. Although several causes exist, food-cobalamin malabsorption is now believed to be the most common etiology. Complications of vitamin B12 deficiency are myriad, ranging from lethargy and weight loss to dementia. Causes of deficiency include failure to separate vitamin B12 from food protein, inadequate ingestion, absorption, utilization, and storage as well as drug-food interactions leading to malabsorption and metabolic inactivation. The roles of B12 deficiency, elevated homocysteine and elevated methylmalonic acid in various disease states are still evolving. Timely screening and replacement of vitamin B12 will help prevent many complications.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008286	Malabsorption Syndromes	General term for a group of MALNUTRITION syndromes caused by failure of normal INTESTINAL ABSORPTION of nutrients.	Malabsorption Syndrome,Syndrome, Malabsorption,Syndromes, Malabsorption
D008403	Mass Screening	Organized periodic procedures performed on large groups of people for the purpose of detecting disease.	Screening,Mass Screenings,Screening, Mass,Screenings,Screenings, Mass
D004347	Drug Interactions	The action of a drug that may affect the activity, metabolism, or toxicity of another drug.	Drug Interaction,Interaction, Drug,Interactions, Drug
D005853	Geriatrics	The branch of medicine concerned with the physiological and pathological aspects of the aged, including the clinical problems of senescence and senility.	Gerontology
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000368	Aged	A person 65 years of age or older. For a person older than 79 years, AGED, 80 AND OVER is available.	Elderly
D000752	Anemia, Pernicious	A megaloblastic anemia occurring in children but more commonly in later life, characterized by histamine-fast achlorhydria, in which the laboratory and clinical manifestations are based on malabsorption of vitamin B 12 due to a failure of the gastric mucosa to secrete adequate and potent intrinsic factor. (Dorland, 27th ed)	Addison's Anemia,Anemia, Addison's,Pernicious Anemia,Addison Anemia,Addisons Anemia,Anemia, Addison,Anemia, Addisons
D014805	Vitamin B 12	A cobalt-containing coordination compound produced by intestinal micro-organisms and found also in soil and water. Higher plants do not concentrate vitamin B 12 from the soil and so are a poor source of the substance as compared with animal tissues. INTRINSIC FACTOR is important for the assimilation of vitamin B 12.	Cobalamin,Cyanocobalamin,Cobalamins,Eritron,Vitamin B12,B 12, Vitamin,B12, Vitamin
D014806	Vitamin B 12 Deficiency	A nutritional condition produced by a deficiency of VITAMIN B 12 in the diet, characterized by megaloblastic anemia. Since vitamin B 12 is not present in plants, humans have obtained their supply from animal products, from multivitamin supplements in the form of pills, and as additives to food preparations. A wide variety of neuropsychiatric abnormalities is also seen in vitamin B 12 deficiency and appears to be due to an undefined defect involving myelin synthesis. (From Cecil Textbook of Medicine, 19th ed, p848)	Deficiency, Vitamin B 12,Deficiency, Vitamin B12,Vitamin B12 Deficiency,Deficiencies, Vitamin B12,Vitamin B12 Deficiencies