This vitamin deficiency can mimic dementia symptoms. Signs to look for
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Several factors can cause a person to have classic signs of dementia, including a deficiency in vitamin B12. “Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause cognitive impairment, including impairments in thinking,” says Dr. Scott Kaiser, a geriatrician and director of Geriatric Cognitive Health for the Pacific Neuroscience Institute in Santa Monica, Calif.?
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Couple that with the fact that older adults are more likely to have trouble fully absorbing vitamin B12, putting them at risk for a deficiency, and doctors say that vitamin B12 deficiency should at least be on the radar of people with older loved ones. Luckily, this deficiency is a health issue that can be reversed.?
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What is vitamin B12?
Vitamin B12 helps your body make DNA, and also plays a role in the development and function of the central nervous system, which includes the brain and spinal cord.?
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Your body can’t make vitamin B12, so you need to get it from outside sources like meat, dairy, eggs, fortified foods, and supplements. Most adults need 2.4 micrograms of vitamin B12 a day, although the numbers are slightly higher during pregnancy and breastfeeding.?
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Vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms
Vitamin B12 deficiency has a few hallmark symptoms:
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People with vitamin B12 deficiency may act forgetful and confused, and struggle with concentrating and accomplishing tasks, Kaiser says.?
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If a doctor suspects a vitamin B12 deficiency, they will usually order blood work to check a patient’s levels, Kaiser says. But having lower vitamin B12 levels doesn’t automatically mean that someone’s symptoms are being caused by the deficiency, which is why it’s important to see your doctor to rule out other causes.?
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If you or a loved one has any signs of dementia, seek an evaluation. “There is a misconception that there’s nothing we can do about it—that’s not true,” Kaiser says.
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