Several medical conditions have been linked to vitamin B12 deficiency.  Are you at risk?  Do you have:

• Pernicious anemia.  The immune system destroys digestive tract cells that aid in B-12 absorption.
• Nutritional deficiency from diet.  Most commonly the elderly, vegans, alcoholics, HIV+ patients, breast-fed children of vegetarian mothers.
• Atrophic gastritis.  This problem affects approximately 20% of people between 60 and 69 years of age, and 40% of people over 80.  The individual is unable to secrete sufficient stomach acid to kill bacteria. Ingested bacteria can thus survive and reside in the stomach and the upper part of the small bowel, where they block B-12 uptake.   The deficiency of vitamin B12 may not be severe enough to show up in the blood, but it can be associated with psychiatric dementias.  These deficiencies may be disguised as Alzheimer's disease or senile dementia.
• Bowel issues (pathology of distal ileum).  This can be from surgery such as distal ileal resection, or an inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn's disease, Whipple's disease, or tropical sprue.
• Surgical gastrectomy.   The partial or full removal of the stomach.
• Bowel bactrial colonization.
• Intestinal parasities. For example, a tapeworm (Diphyllobothrium latum)
• Congenital conditions such as Imerslund-Grasbeck syndrome.

People with any of these conditions should be taking B12 supplementation!  Ask your doctor if our transdermal B-12 Energy Patch is the right supplement and delivery method for you.

Sources:

N.K. Sethi, E. Robilotti & Y. Sadan: Neurological Manifestations Of Vitamin B-12 Deficiency: The Internet Journal of Nutrition and Wellness. 2005; Volume 2, Number 1.

DiagnoseMe.com - Atrophic Gastritis

Related posts:

1. Other Medical Issues Often Accompanied By Vitamin B-12 Deficiency