B12 Anemia can be a mild disease or a very serious one, and in some cases it can even be life-threatening. So with such serious consequences, and many people being B12 deficient without realizing, it’s important that you know all about this potentially fatal condition.

Red blood cells are manufactured in the body with the help of Vitamin B12. If you don’t have enough B12, then your body can’t produce enough of these cells. That lead to low oxygen levels, because it is the red blood cells that carry the oxygen to you body organs and central nervous system.

Typically symptoms include exhaustion, fuzzy thinking, depression, pale skin. They may also look like they are drained and lacking in sleep. This may indeed be the case, because insomnia is a secondary sign of anemia.

Anemia usually starts off with mild symptoms, but if left untreated these can change to more serious symptoms over time. The nerve endings may start to die and you could then notice numbness or tingling in your fingers and toes.

If anemia is left to progress, extreme cases can result in nerve damage, organ failure and even death.

Anemia can have slightly different causes, so the treatment will be different in each case. If the cause is because you aren’t getting enough B12 through food, then the treatment can be as simple as taking a B12 supplement. But some people lack intrinsic factor, which means they can’t use the B12 there are getting. These people need to be treated with B12 patches or B12 injections.

If you have any symptoms of B12 anemia it is very important that you see your doctor so that he can test you for both anemia and for B12 deficiency. If you have a B12 deficiency it’s very important to get it sorted out as soon as possible, as it can lead to irreversible nerve damage and even death.

So who’s most at risk of B12 anemia? The main categories of people are the elderly, vegans, vegetarians and raw foodists. Some studies have suggested that up to 40% of people in the USA may be B12 deficient. It can happened to anyone, even if you’re not in the above group of people.