A test for B12 levels, this is another test I had done last week when they drew my blood. I was wondering what this test meant too so I looked it up. I found that high levels of B12 are rare. If the levels are high then it could mean a liver disease like Liver Cirrhosis or Hepatitis. High B12 could also be caused by Myeloproliferative Disorders like Polycythemia Vera and Chronic Myelocytic Leukemia. Low levels of B12 are more common and can be caused be diet insufficiency, but that is rare unless you are a vegetarian. Other causes of low B12 levels are diseases that cause malabsorbtion such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Gastric Cancer, Celiac Disease, Crohn's Disease, Cystic Fibrosis, Hyperthyroidism and pregnancy. It also maybe ordered if you have certain nervous system related symptoms. Low levels of B12 can cause dizziness, fatigue, weakness, sore mouth or tongue, loss of balance, numbness and tingling in your arms and legs (neuropathy). It is also a test used to help diagnose certain Anemias such as Pernicious Anemia. It is also ordered if the patient exhibits behavioral changes like irritabiity, confusion, depression and paranoia. So it can be ordered for many reasons depending on your symptoms. Here are a couple articles that go more in depth about B12....
http://labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/vitamin-b12/tab/test
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003705.htm
No comments:
Post a Comment