What Could be Causing Abnormal Vitamin B12 Levels?

What Causes Abnormal Vitamin B12 Levels?

Abnormal vitamin B12 levels can have various causes, ranging in severity from 'serious' to 'generally fatal'. Finding the true cause means ruling out or confirming each possibility – in other words, diagnosis.

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Diagnosis is usually a complex process due to the sheer number of possible causes and related symptoms. In order to diagnose abnormal vitamin B12 levels, we could:

Research the topic
Find a doctor with the time
Use a diagnostic computer system.

The process is the same, whichever method is used.

Step 1: List all Possible Causes

We begin by identifying the disease conditions which have "abnormal vitamin B12 levels" as a symptom. Here are eight of many possibilities (more below):

Diabetes II
Prostate Cancer
Liver Cancer
Cirrhosis Of The Liver
Myeloproliferative Neoplasm
Breast Cancer
Polycythemia Vera
Lung Cancer

Step 2: Build a Symptom Checklist

We then identify all possible symptoms and risk factors of each possible cause, and check the ones that apply:

history of breast cancer

breast cancer

nails that are mostly white

multiple swollen axillary nodes

history of prostate cancer

extreme calorie restriction

high omega-6 oil intake

bitter taste in mouth

red palms/fingertips

almost-black nipple discharge

breast cancer in family members

drinking water treated with chlorine

... and more than 70 others

Step 3: Rule Out or Confirm each Possible Cause

A differential diagnosis of your symptoms and risk factors finds the likely cause of abnormal vitamin B12 levels:

Cause	Probability	Status
Myeloproliferative Neoplasm	91%	Confirm
Breast Cancer	19%	Unlikely
Prostate Cancer	15%	Unlikely
Liver Cancer	4%	Ruled out
Cirrhosis Of The Liver	4%	Ruled out
Lung Cancer	4%	Ruled out
Diabetes II	2%	Ruled out
Polycythemia Vera	1%	Ruled out

* This is a simple example to illustrate the process

Arriving at a Correct Diagnosis

The Analyst™ is our online diagnosis tool that learns all about you through a straightforward process of multi-level questioning, providing diagnosis at the end.

If you indicate having had recent lab tests, The Analyst™ will ask further questions including this one:

Vitamin B12 (cobalamin). Unit: pg/mL [pmol/L]

Possible responses:

→ Don't know
→ Confirmed deficiency in the past
→ Under 200 [150] (low)
→ 200-950 [150-700] (normal)
→ Over 950 [700] (elevated)

Based on your response to this question, which may indicate history of B12 deficiency, B12 deficiency, normal B12 levels or elevated B12 levels, The Analyst™ will consider possibilities such as:

Breast Cancer

Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML)

Cirrhosis of the Liver

Colon Cancer

Hepatitis

Kidney Cancer

Liver Cancer

Lung Cancer

Myeloproliferative Neoplasm

Polycythemia Vera

Prostate Cancer

Stomach Cancer

Vitamin B12 Requirement

A urine MMA test is recommended for properly diagnosing B12 deficiency due to the possible lack of sensitivity of serum B12 tests. A normal or high B12 level makes B12 deficiency less likely, but does not rule it out.

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