What Causes Abnormal Vitamin B6 Levels?

To successfully treat and prevent recurrence of abnormal vitamin B6 levels we need to understand and — if possible — remove the underlying causes and risk factors. We need to ask: "What else is going on inside the body that might allow abnormal vitamin B6 levels to develop?"

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Accurate diagnosis of the factors behind abnormal vitamin B6 levels consists of three steps:

Step 1: List the Possible Causative Factors

Identify all disease conditions, lifestyle choices and environmental risk factors that can lead to abnormal vitamin B6 levels. Here are two possibilities:

Nutritional Deficiency Anemia
Pyroluria

Step 2: Build a Symptom Checklist

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

severe fatigue after slight exertion

high alcohol consumption

no social support group

minor joint pain/swelling/stiffness

being prone to 'stitches'

lighter/paler skin color

forgetting dreams

being an unsocial person

low desire to eat breakfast

sensitivity to bright light

being a recovered alcoholic

occasional unexplained nausea

... and so on

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 B6 levels:

Cause	Probability	Status
Nutritional Deficiency Anemia	90%	Confirm
Pyroluria	60%	Possible

* 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 B6 (pyridoxine). Unit: ng/mL [nmol/L]

Possible responses:

→ Don't know
→ Confirmed deficiency in the past
→ Under 4 [16] (low)
→ 4 to 18 [16-73] (normal)
→ Over 18 [73] (elevated)

Based on your response to this question, which may indicate history of B6 deficiency, low B6 levels, normal B6 levels or high B6 levels, The Analyst™ will consider possibilities such as:

Nutritional Deficiency Anemia

Pyroluria

A functional pyridoxine deficiency is common in pyroluria (often seen in alcoholics), due not so much to inadequate intake as impaired conversion to its active form, pyridoxal-5-phosphate, and enhanced degradation.

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