A worrying condition that can develop if you lack B12
Vitamin B12 deficiency can affect almost anyone and can strike any age, race, economic class or both sexes. Having a severe deficiency puts a person at risk of developing neutropenia.
Cancer Therapy Advisor explained vitamin B12 is obtained exclusively from dietary intake of animal products and absorption is dependent upon an acidic gastric environment, express. co.uk reported.
It continued: “Vitamin B12 deficiency is most often a result of reduced absorption, not intake, of dietary vitamin B12.
“Dietary deficiency is isolated to strict vegans or malnutrition with a true deficiency usually taking years to develop.
“Vitamin B12 deficiencies can cause hematologic manifestations which include megaloblastic anemia, bleeding diathesis and opportunistic infections known as neutropenia which are present in more severe cases.”
What is neutropenia?
For a person suffering with a B12 deficiency and neutropenia it means they have a usually low number of cells known as neutrophils.
Neutrophils are cells in the immune system which attack bacteria and other organisms which invade the body.
Neutrophils are a type of white blood cell which a person’s bone marrow creates.
They then travel into the bloodstream and move to areas of infection where they ingest and then neutralize the offending bacteria.
What are the symptoms of neutropenia?
In some cases, a person will only know they have neutropenia when they have a blood test for an unrelated reason.
It is most commonly seen as a result of chemotherapy to treat cancer.
But some people may have other symptoms from infection or the underlying problem causing the neutropenia.
Infections can occur as a complication of neutropenia and occur most often in the mucous membranes, such as the inside of the mouth and skin.
These infections can appear as ulcers, abscesses, rashes and wounds which take a long time to heal.
Neutropenia happens due to the neutrophils being used up or being destroyed faster than they are produced, or the bone marrow does not make enough neutrophils in the first place.