Vitamin B12 Blood Test

Test #001503Detect B12 deficiency as in pernicious anemia; diagnose folic acid deficiency; evaluate hypersegmentation of granulocyte nuclei; follow up MCV 100; diagnose macrocytic anemia; diagnose megaloblastic anemia; evaluate alcoholism, prenatal care; evaluate malabsorption, neurological disorders, or the elevation of B12 as seen in liver cell damage or myeloid leukemia

Preparation:

Vitamin B12, or cyanocobalamin, is a complex corrinoid compound containing four pyrrole rings that surround a single cobalt atom.2 Humans obtain vitamin B12 exclusively from animal dietary sources, such as meat, eggs, and milk. Vitamin B12 requires intrinsic factor, a protein secreted by the parietal cells in the gastric mucosa, for absorption. Vitamin B12 and intrinsic factor form a complex that attaches to receptors in the ileal mucosa, where proteins known as transcobalamins transport the vitamin B12 from the mucosal cells to the blood and tissue.3,4Most vitamin B12 is stored in the liver as well as in the bone marrow and other tissues.Vitamin B12 and folate are critical to normal DNA synthesis, which in turn affects erythrocyte maturation.3,5,6 Vitamin B12 is also necessary for myelin sheath formation and maintenance.7The body uses its B12 stores very economically, reabsorbing vitamin B12 from the ileum and returning it to the liver so that very little is excreted.4,8Clinical and laboratory findings for B12 deficiency include neurological abnormalities, decreased serum B12 levels, and increased excretion of methylmalonic acid.4,8,9 The impaired synthesis associated with vitamin B12 deficiency causes macrocytic anemias. These anemias are characterized by abnormal maturation of erythrocyte precursors in the bone marrow, which results in the presence of megaloblasts and in decreased erythrocyte survival.3,10Pernicious anemia is a macrocytic anemia caused by vitamin B12 deficiency that is due to lack of intrinsic factor.5,6 Low vitamin B12 intake, gastrectomy, diseases of the small intestine, malabsorption, and transcobalamin deficiency can also cause vitamin B12 deficiency.3Pregnant women need increased amounts of folate for proper fetal development.11 If a woman has a folate deficiency prior to pregnancy, it will be intensified during gestation and may lead to premature birth and neural tube birth defects, such as spina bifida, in the child.11