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iS B12 deficiency often a misdiagnosis for MS?
On one of the other MS forums someone is rather insistent that I check all the blood test numbers for B12 Deficiency. I'm quite positive its not that because that particular list of symtoms only fits like a quarter of my actual symptoms ,mush less than MS put it that way,but never the less they are very insistent.
Just wondering how often B12 deficiency is mis diagnosed for MS and vice versa?
I can see why B12 deficiency might come up early on in the diagnosis process but apart from that not much resembles MS I find.(this is just personal opinion nothing else)
Found out today my blood tests came back normal but that's all I know so far,not sure of the actual numbers.
Waiting waiting waiting .sigh . fingers crossed daily they confirm a diagnosis in sept.
Just wondering how often B12 deficiency is mis diagnosed for MS and vice versa?
I can see why B12 deficiency might come up early on in the diagnosis process but apart from that not much resembles MS I find.(this is just personal opinion nothing else)
Found out today my blood tests came back normal but that's all I know so far,not sure of the actual numbers.
Waiting waiting waiting .sigh . fingers crossed daily they confirm a diagnosis in sept.
You might be interested in watching this video on youtube: "BBC Inside Out 30Oct2006 - Vitamin B12 Deficiency" and one woman who was diagnosed with MS but her symptoms improved dramatically with B12. Her B12 serum was "normal".
Excerpt from the article by Chris Kresser - B12 deficiency: a silent epidemic with serious consequences...
"What do all of these diseases have in common?
Alzheimer’s, dementia, cognitive decline and memory loss (collectively referred to as “aging”)
Multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological disorders
Mental illness (depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, psychosis)
Cardiovascular disease
Learning or developmental disorders in kids
Autism spectrum disorder
Autoimmune disease and immune dysregulation
Cancer
Male and female infertility
Answer: they can all mimic the signs and symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency.
B12 deficiency: an invisible epidemic
B12 deficiency isn’t a bizarre, mysterious disease. It’s written about in every medical textbook and its causes and effects are well-established in the scientific literature.
However, B12 deficiency is far more common than most health care practitioners and the general public realize. Data from the Tufts University Framingham Offspring Study suggest that 40 percent of people between the ages of 26 and 83 have plasma B12 levels in the low normal range – a range at which many experience neurological symptoms. 9 percent had outright deficiency, and 16 percent exhibited “near deficiency”. Most surprising to the researchers was the fact that low B12 levels were as common in younger people as they were in the elderly.
That said, B12 deficiency has been estimated to affect about 40% of people over 60 years of age. It’s entirely possible that at least some of the symptoms we attribute to “normal” aging – such as memory loss, cognitive decline, decreased mobility, etc. – are at least in part caused by B12 deficiency.
Why is B12 deficiency so under-diagnosed?
B12 deficiency is often missed for two reasons. First, it’s not routinely tested by most physicians. Second, the low end of the laboratory reference range is too low. This is why most studies underestimate true levels of deficiency. Many B12 deficient people have so-called “normal” levels of B12.
Yet it is well-established in the scientific literature that people with B12 levels between 200 pg/mL and 350 pg/mL – levels considered “normal” in the U.S. – have clear B12 deficiency symptoms. Experts who specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of B12 deficiency, like Sally Pacholok R.N. and Jeffery Stewart D.O., suggest treating all patients that are symptomatic and have B12 levels less than 450 pg/mL. They also recommend treating patients with normal B12, but elevated urinary methylmalonic acid (MMA), homocysteine and/or holotranscobalamin (other markers of B12 deficiency).
In Japan and Europe, the lower limit for B12 is between 500-550 pg/mL, the level associated with psychological and behavioral manifestations such as cognitive decline, dementia and memory loss. Some experts have speculated that the acceptance of higher levels as normal in Japan and the willingness to treat levels considered “normal” in the U.S. explain the low rates of Alzheimer’s and dementia in that country."
Excerpt from the article by Chris Kresser - B12 deficiency: a silent epidemic with serious consequences...
"What do all of these diseases have in common?
Alzheimer’s, dementia, cognitive decline and memory loss (collectively referred to as “aging”)
Multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological disorders
Mental illness (depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, psychosis)
Cardiovascular disease
Learning or developmental disorders in kids
Autism spectrum disorder
Autoimmune disease and immune dysregulation
Cancer
Male and female infertility
Answer: they can all mimic the signs and symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency.
B12 deficiency: an invisible epidemic
B12 deficiency isn’t a bizarre, mysterious disease. It’s written about in every medical textbook and its causes and effects are well-established in the scientific literature.
However, B12 deficiency is far more common than most health care practitioners and the general public realize. Data from the Tufts University Framingham Offspring Study suggest that 40 percent of people between the ages of 26 and 83 have plasma B12 levels in the low normal range – a range at which many experience neurological symptoms. 9 percent had outright deficiency, and 16 percent exhibited “near deficiency”. Most surprising to the researchers was the fact that low B12 levels were as common in younger people as they were in the elderly.
That said, B12 deficiency has been estimated to affect about 40% of people over 60 years of age. It’s entirely possible that at least some of the symptoms we attribute to “normal” aging – such as memory loss, cognitive decline, decreased mobility, etc. – are at least in part caused by B12 deficiency.
Why is B12 deficiency so under-diagnosed?
B12 deficiency is often missed for two reasons. First, it’s not routinely tested by most physicians. Second, the low end of the laboratory reference range is too low. This is why most studies underestimate true levels of deficiency. Many B12 deficient people have so-called “normal” levels of B12.
Yet it is well-established in the scientific literature that people with B12 levels between 200 pg/mL and 350 pg/mL – levels considered “normal” in the U.S. – have clear B12 deficiency symptoms. Experts who specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of B12 deficiency, like Sally Pacholok R.N. and Jeffery Stewart D.O., suggest treating all patients that are symptomatic and have B12 levels less than 450 pg/mL. They also recommend treating patients with normal B12, but elevated urinary methylmalonic acid (MMA), homocysteine and/or holotranscobalamin (other markers of B12 deficiency).
In Japan and Europe, the lower limit for B12 is between 500-550 pg/mL, the level associated with psychological and behavioral manifestations such as cognitive decline, dementia and memory loss. Some experts have speculated that the acceptance of higher levels as normal in Japan and the willingness to treat levels considered “normal” in the U.S. explain the low rates of Alzheimer’s and dementia in that country."
actually just re read the symptoms list for B12 deficiency and the only things that fit for me personally is the weakness,dizziness ,numbness and difficulty walking that's about it
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