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Article: Vitamin [B.sub.12] deficiency: issues in nursing care.(Clinical Practice)
- Article from:
- MedSurg Nursing
- Article date:
- August 1, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Jannetti Publications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Vitamin [B.sub.12] is essential for the proper functioning of all cells, particularly he cells of the nervous system, gastrointestinal tract, and bone marrow. Persistent deficiency of the vitamin may lead to serious, even life-threatening symptoms, but proper diagnosis is often elusive due to the complex and sometimes confusing clinical presentation of the patient. The deficiency is often subtle, taking years to develop. Symptoms may be mild, moderate, or severe, and affect one or more body systems. The assumption that vitamin [B.sub.12] deficiency will result in anemia is somewhat misleading because only 60% of patients with the problem are anemic (Smith, 2000). Causes of ...