disorders of nutrition
Vitamin B12 Deficiency
Treatment of Vitamin B12 Deficiency
Vitamin B12 supplements For people with nerve damage, vitamin B12 given by injection Older people with vitamin B12 deficiency benefit from taking vitamin B12 supplements because the deficiency usually results from difficulty absorbing the vitamin from meat. They can absorb the vitamin more easily from supplements than from meat. Treatment of vitamin B12 deficiency or pernicious anemia consists of high doses of vitamin B12 supplements. If people have the deficiency but no symptoms, the vitamin may be taken by mouth. Blood tests are done periodically to make sure the vitamin B12 level returns to and remains normal. People who have very low levels of vitamin B12 or symptoms due to nerve damage are usually given vitamin B12 by injection into a muscle. Injections, which may be self-administered, are given daily or weekly for several weeks until the vitamin B12 level returns to normal. Then injections are given once a month indefinitely, unless the disorder causing the deficiency can be corrected. Anemia usually resolves in about 6 weeks. But if severe symptoms due to nerve damage last for months or years, they may become permanent. In most older people with vitamin B12 deficiency and dementia, mental function does not improve after treatment. 