Source of Vitamin B12, Image Credit: marina_ua / Shutterstock Causes Vitamin B12 deficiency may arise due to: Nutritional deficiency especially in elderly individuals on restricted diets, and alcoholics Malabsorption syndromes such as pernicious anemia Gastrointestinal disorders leading to malabsorption such as atrophic gastritis or H2-receptor blocker use for prolonged periods Others such as Whipples disease or Crohns disease, intestinal surgery or strictures with resulting bacterial overgrowth that competitively take up vitamin B12 in the ileum Clinical features Hematologic Classically, vitamin B12 deficiency has been associated with megaloblastic macrocytic anemia
Patients with pernicious anemia who face B12 absorption problems need alternative treatment approaches since their bodies need longer to react to therapeutic interventions
They're not direct substitutes for each other
While oral pills can be sufficient for correcting minor, diet-related deficiencies, injections remain the gold standard for tackling significant shortfalls and managing medical conditions that get in the way of B12 uptake
If you are constantly lethargic even after a full night of sleep, you may have need B12 shots
Multiple vitamin injections may be administered during the same visit when clinically appropriate
