Vitamin b12 test

Overview What is vitamin B12 deficiency? Vitamin B12 deficiency happens when your body is either not getting enough or not absorbing enough vitamin B12 from the food that you eat that it needs to function properly. Vitamin B12 is an important nutrient that helps your body make red blood cells and DNA, the genetic material in all of your cells. Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause physical, neurological and psychological problems if it is not treated. What is vitamin B12? Vitamin B12 is an important nutrient that helps your body keep your nerve cells and blood cells healthy. It also helps your body make DNA, the genetic material in all of your cells. Your body does not make vitamin B12 on its own, so you have to consume food and drinks that have vitamin B12 in order to get it. Vitamin B12 is found in animal products you eat and drink such as meat, dairy and eggs. It can also be found in fortified foods (foods that have certain vitamins and nutrients added to them) such as certain cereals, bread and nutritional yeast. Adults need around 2.4 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin B12 a day, and people who are pregnant or breastfeeding need more. The amount of vitamin B12 babies and children need varies based on age. How does my body absorb vitamin B12? There are two things that need to happen in order for your body to absorb vitamin B12 from the food you eat. First, hydrochloric acid in your stomach removes vitamin B12 from the food it was in. Next, vitamin B12 combines with something calle...

Ask patients if they have received a vitamin B12 injection or radiolabeled vitamin B12 injection within the last 2 weeks. Patient results will not reflect deficiency or malabsorption after recent B12 injection. If patient has received such an injection within the past 2 weeks, this test should not be ordered. This test provides a measurement of serum vitamin B12 level only. For a more comprehensive workup, order ACASM / Pernicious Anemia Cascade, Serum, which initiates testing with measurement of vitamin B12. Depending of the vitamin B12 concentration, testing for intrinsic factor blocking antibody, gastrin, and methylmalonic acid may be added. Patient Preparation : This test should not be performed on patients who have received a vitamin B12 injection or radiolabeled vitamin B12 injection within the previous 2 weeks. Collection Container/Tube: Preferred: Serum gel Acceptable: Red top Submission Container/Tube: Plastic vial Specimen Volume: 0.6 mL Collection Instructions: 1. Serum gel tubes should be centrifuged within 2 hours of collection. 2. Red-top tubes should be centrifuged, and the serum aliquoted into a plastic vial within 2 hours of collection. Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) is necessary for hematopoiesis and normal neuronal function. In humans, it is obtained only from animal proteins and requires intrinsic factor (IF) for absorption. The body uses its vitamin B12 stores very economically, reabsorbing vitamin B12 from the ileum and returning it to the liver; very little...

Methylmalonic acid (MMA) is a substance that is created when your body digests protein. The amount of vitamin B12 in your body controls how much MMA your body makes. A high amount of MMA typically means you have a vitamin B12 deficiency. ‌ There are two types of low-risk methylmalonic acid tests. One is a blood test. The other is a urine test. Why a Methylmalonic Acid Test? Vitamin B12 is necessary to make red blood cells. It helps your central nervous system work correctly. Vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to A vitamin deficiency slowly develops over months or years. As a deficiency gets worse, so do the symptoms. ‌ Symptoms. Your doctor may call for an MMA test if you begin showing signs of • Numbness or tingling in your hands, legs, feet, or other extremities • Difficulty walking • Swollen or inflamed tongue • Confusion or memory loss • Weakness • Fatigue Sources of vitamin B. Most people get enough vitamin B12 from the foods they eat. Red meat, shellfish, and dairy are major food sources of vitamin B12. This puts vegetarians and vegans at risk for a vitamin B12 deficiency. Vitamin supplements can be taken to boost your levels of B12. Methylmalonic acidemia. Your doctor may call for an MMA test if they suspect you have methylmalonic acidemia. This is a genetic disorder in which your body can’t process certain proteins and fats. It typically appears early in life and is tested for during newborn screenings. ‌ Methylmalonic acidemia can be life-threatening if untreated. Sy...

Patient Preparation: 1. Patient should be fasting for 8 hours. 2. Do not order on patients who have recently received methotrexate or other folic acid antagonists. Collection Container/Tube: Preferred: Red top Acceptable: Serum gel Submission Container/Tube: Plastic vial Specimen Volume: 1 mL Collection Instructions: Centrifuge and aliquot serum into a plastic vial. B12: Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) is necessary for hematopoiesis and normal neuronal function. In humans, it is obtained only from animal proteins and requires intrinsic factor (IF) for absorption. The body uses its vitamin B12 stores very economically, reabsorbing vitamin B12 from the ileum and returning it to the liver; very little is excreted. Vitamin B12 deficiency may be due to lack of IF secretion by gastric mucosa (eg, gastrectomy, gastric atrophy) or intestinal malabsorption (eg, ileal resection, small intestinal diseases). Vitamin B12 deficiency frequently causes macrocytic anemia, glossitis, peripheral neuropathy, weakness, hyperreflexia, ataxia, loss of proprioception, poor coordination, and affective behavioral changes. These manifestations may occur in any combination; many patients have the neurologic defects without macrocytic anemia. Pernicious anemia is a macrocytic anemia caused by vitamin B12 deficiency that is due to a lack of IF secretion by gastric mucosa. Serum methylmalonic acid and homocysteine levels are also elevated in vitamin B12 deficiency states. Folate: The term folate refers to all d...

A vitamin B-12 level test checks the amount of vitamin B-12 in the blood or urine to gauge the body’s overall vitamin B-12 stores. Levels will usually be between 200 and 900 picograms per milliliter, but the way of measuring will depend on the laboratory. Vitamin B-12 is necessary for several bodily processes, including nerve function and the production of DNA and red blood cells. A person whose Read on to learn more about testing B-12 levels and what the test results mean. The vitamin B-12 level test checks how much vitamin B-12 is in the body. The results can help doctors to determine if abnormal vitamin B-12 levels are causing symptoms. A doctor may order a vitamin B-12 level test if a person has any of the following: Suspected vitamin B-12 deficiency Researchers believe that • confusion • • • difficulty maintaining balance • fast heartbeat • numbness and tingling in the hands and feet • poor memory • a sore mouth or tongue Infants with vitamin B-12 deficiency may fail to thrive. They may experience movement problems in addition to delayed development. Pernicious anemia People with symptoms of pernicious It often affects older adults or those who are lacking intrinsic factor. Intrinsic factor is a substance in the stomach that binds to vitamin B-12 so that the body can absorb it. Symptoms of pernicious anemia include: • constipation • fatigue • loss of appetite • pale skin • weakness • weight loss High serum folate levels Serum They can also increase the likelihood of a...