Vitamin B12 Cyanocobalamin Serum in Dehradun

What is a Vitamin B12 Cyanocobalamin Serum?

Vitamin B12 is required for two jobs the body cannot do without: building healthy red blood cells and maintaining the myelin sheath that insulates nerves. It occurs naturally almost only in animal foods, which is why deficiency is unusually common in India, where a large share of the population eats little or no meat, fish or egg. Absorption is also fragile. B12 needs stomach acid and a carrier called intrinsic factor to be taken up in the last part of the small intestine, so deficiency also appears in older adults with reduced acid, in people on long-term acid-suppressing medicines such as omeprazole, in those on metformin for diabetes, after gastric or intestinal surgery, and in coeliac or Crohn's disease. The two consequences look quite different. In blood it produces an anaemia with abnormally large red cells; in the nervous system it causes tingling, numbness, unsteadiness, poor memory and low mood. The neurological damage can become permanent if deficiency runs long enough, which is the main reason not to leave it untested.

Why take this test?

A B12 test is advised for persistent unexplained tiredness, tingling or numbness in the hands and feet, a burning sensation in the feet, unsteadiness on walking, poor memory or concentration, low mood, a sore red tongue, or mouth ulcers that keep returning. It should be checked in anyone following a vegetarian or vegan diet long term, in adults over 60, in people on metformin or long-term acid-suppressing medicines, after weight-loss or other gastric surgery, and in pregnancy where the diet is largely plant based. It is a standard addition when a Complete Blood Count shows anaemia with enlarged red cells, and it is usually ordered together with iron studies, since iron and B12 deficiency frequently coexist and treating only one leaves the patient still anaemic and still tired.

• Persistent tiredness, poor concentration or low mood
• Tingling, numbness or burning in the hands and feet
• A long-term vegetarian or vegan diet
• Age over 60, or long-term metformin or acid-suppressing medicines
• Anaemia with enlarged red cells on a Complete Blood Count
• A sore red tongue or recurrent mouth ulcers

Normal reference ranges

Ranges are indicative for adults. Your report carries the lab-specific reference range and is reviewed by a LabONE pathologist; always interpret results with your doctor.

FAQs: Vitamin B12 Cyanocobalamin Serum in Dehradun