Unsure as to what is causing vitamin B12 deficiency in my daughter?
Posted , 11 users are following.
About 18 months ago, my teenage daughter (now 16) suddenly became tired constantly. She had no energy, was sleeping much more and was generally down and unwell. On top of this she had crops of mouth ulcers that would appear about 10 at a time, she was going through a rough stage. The doctors were puzzled but ran blood tests and the outcome; very low levels of vitamin b12. My daughter is not a vegan and eats healthily, a diet fortified with vitamin b12 food groups. She had a level of about 80 pg/mL. This meant nothing to me, I was aware it was low, but I was unsure how low. She was started on vitamin b12 oral supplements and no repeat blood tests were scheduled. I assumed the vitamins were working and would quickly fix the problem. They didn't, and ever since then she has had to endure very painful mouth ulcers among other symptoms. The doctor repeated bloods 3 months later and the results came back the same, around 80 pg/mL however tests for pernicious anaemia came back negative. Folate levels were all normal. He suggested to stay on the tablets and eat a diet with more vitamin b12 and see whether this would improve it. We followed this and it was still to no avail, we assumed it was something she'd just have to manage. 3 weeks ago is when I noticed she had gone very downhill, she was very pale, lethargic and just generally looked unwell. She had huge, very painful mouth ulcers and was hardly eating, she had ulcers right next to her tonsils. The doctor ran urgent blood tests and the b12 came back very low at 59 pg/mL. He agreed that this was extremely low and also ran tests for ceiliac disease and ferritin. Both were normal. He's established that her body isn't absorbing b12 but he wants to find an underlying cause for it, she seems to be a mystery. Chrone's was suggested as she was admitted to hospital for very painful stomach cramps and problems with bowel movements earlier in the year. I just want to see it sorted for her, she has important exams ahead and I hate seeing her so run down as she's otherwise a healthy teenager. Any advice or suggestions would be much appreciated.
0 likes, 20 replies
debbyog1 e69543
Posted
She must continue to have blood tests at regular intervals possibly for life. Read up about it as it can impact all areas of health including fertilaty later on. Make sure her iron has been checked too. I presume he has checked for Folic anemia?
Good luck.
Deb
le82460 e69543
Posted
tina2969 e69543
Posted
Still working on her issues, but aside from PCOS, they've found nothing out of the ordinary. I did put her on the B12 sublingual and some natural anxiety remedy and she seems quite a bit better.
le82460 tina2969
Posted
Thanks for the response. Strange that they weren't able to figure anything out. Like your daughter, my daughter has almost no B12, along with stomach issues, fatigue, etc. Gastric tests came back negative. It's a mystery. I have recently started her on over-the-counter B12, too, so hopefully that helps. But, it certainly would be great to know what causes the low B12!
ally08685 e69543
Posted
I have the same story as all of you. I am 19. I am hypothyroid though this does not show up in my blood results and hasn't for the 8 years I've been ill. I have no official diagnosis or treatment because doctors will not believe me. Hypothyroidism reduces HCL in the stomach which makes your Stomach a breeding ground for SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth) which damages your small intestine similar to celiac damage. This is what causes the malabsorption. B12, ferritin, vit D deficiencies are extremely common in untreated hypothyroid state.
You need to find FT4 and FT3 (thyroid hormone). You need them to be in the top 2/3rds of the range. Any lower isn't good enough. TSH isn't useful.
Obviously rule out celiac/crohn's/major food intolerance.
http://www.thyroiduk.org
https://stopthethyroidmadness.com
https://raypeatforum.com/community/
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malabsorption