Vitamin B12 deficiency: Hearing this sound could signal you're lacking the vitamin [Tinnitus]

www.express.co.uk ^ | PUBLISHED: 10:49, Tue, Jun 16, 2020 | UPDATED: 10:49, Tue, Jun 16, 2020 | By Adam Chapman

[Red Badger]

VITAMIN B12 deficiency produces a number of eerie effects on the body and the type of symptoms you may experience depend on the underlying cause. One common warning sign associated with B12 deficiency caused by pernicious anaemia is a particular sound.

Vitamin B12's impact on the body is brought into sharp relief if you become deficient in the vitamin. Vitamin B12 is a nutrient that helps keep the body’s nerve and blood cells healthy and helps make DNA, the genetic material in all cells. If the body does not get enough of the vitamin, it therefore responds in disturbing ways.

How your body responds depends largely on what is causing your B12 deficiency.

Pernicious anaemia is the most common cause of vitamin B12 deficiency in the UK.

B12 is naturally found in certain foods but pernicious anaemia inhibits your ability to absorb the vitamin from food.

This is because pernicious anaemia prevents the body from making intrinsic factor - a protein made by the stomach and needed to absorb vitamin B12 in the intestine.

There are a number of distinctive signs associated with B12 deficiency caused by pernicious anaemia.

According to the Pernicious Anaemia Society (PAS), one neurological symptom to watch out for is tinnitus.

Tinnitus is the perception of noise or ringing in the ears.

According to Mayo Clinic, tinnitus symptoms may include these types of phantom noises in your ears:

Ringing

Buzzing

Roaring

Clicking

Hissing

Humming

"The phantom noise may vary in pitch from a low roar to a high squeal, and you may hear it in one or both ears," explains the health body.

According to PAS, tinnitus is extremely common in patients with pernicious anaemia and is probably due to slight nerve damage to the brain.

Other symptoms of B12 deficiency anaemia include:

A pale yellow tinge to your skin

A sore and red tongue (glossitis)

Mouth ulcers

Pins and needles (paraesthesia)

Changes in the way that you walk and move around

Disturbed vision

Irritability

Depression

Changes in the way you think, feel and behave

A decline in your mental abilities, such as memory, understanding and judgement (dementia)

Some of these symptoms can also happen in people who have a vitamin B12 deficiency but have not developed anaemia.

How to treat it

Vitamin B12 deficiency anaemia is usually treated with injections of vitamin B12.

There are two types of vitamin B12 injections:

Hydroxocobalamin

Cyanocobalamin

It is worth noting that B12 deficiency can be caused by a lack of the vitamin in your diet.

According to the NHS, you may be prescribed vitamin B12 tablets to take every day between meals if this is the case.

[Bonemaker]

It slowly got worse over the decades. Many thousands of rounds in military pistol competition and even with hearing protection it still got through. Severe hearing loss right ear. You adjust to life’s vicissitudes.

[Trailerpark Badass]

I didn’t know that for sure, but assumed it might be the case. Thanks!

[Trailerpark Badass]

As I posted above, I was having really bad tinnitus, and had done many of the things we all did (loud rock shows, headphones/Walkman, lots of firearms shooting, though I have used hearing protection for that pretty religiously along with suppressors since the late 90's).

BUt after starting taking Lisinopril/HCTZ in the last couple years, it's gone, and my hearing, too. is still excellent, thankfully.

[Grampa Dave]

B vitamins help heal nerve damage.

Do any specific foods or beverages do this?

Thanks

[TXnMA]

"In about 1962 I fired a 22 handgun at a snake inside a backwoods outhouse."

~~~~~~~~

.22 handguns are surprisingly damaging to hearing.

I worked in NM before joining the USAF, and the State was asking citizens to shoot as many jackrabbits as possible -- to slow the spread of bubonic plague within the extensive herds of jacks.

We young guys would drive out into the alfalfa fields at night, shut down lights & engine, wait a while -- and then switch on hand-held spotlights -- and "cut loose" with .22 handguns at the jacks that were sitting up like black-tipped white posts all over the fields.

Think about it: with 4 guys shooting thru the open windows of a car -- everyone has someone else's muzzle next to one ear. We used to joke about being the first/last one to regain hearing as we drove back into town...

Young guys think they're invincible; old ones know they're not!

The ringing in our ears tells us so... :-{

TXnMA
  

[spacejunkie2001]

I do not recommend supplementing calcium. once you start on a good magnesium form and brand, calcium and d will naturally go up. Get sun and eat food that does contain dairy. many calcium supps will cause more problems

[sonova]

Early on I went to a good, real Audiologist (not hearing-aid salesman) She looked at my meds, said have your doc change this one (I think it was Lisinopril) and that made a big difference. Now I take cal/mag/zink to help with high BP and that seems to help.
Interesting the article says B-12 deficiency causes a number of things that I have, so I’ll up the B-complex that I take. I drink quite some so that may affect many of these things.

[Amendment10]

Beware of references to specific vitamins!

Although vitamin C supplements probably aren’t going to hurt anybody in my non-medical opinion, please consider this. Perhaps the UK doctors should have noted vitamin B complex instead of specifying B12, B complex an optimized (my word) mixture of the various Bs if I understand correctly.

Ask your MD.

Also, vegan and vegetarian diets are associated with vitamin B deficiency.

Corrections, insights welcome.

[conservative98]

I recommend taking a calcium supplement if you are not eating calcium-fortified foods or at least three servings of dairy per day. Most people aren’t. And if you go with dairy, the dairy should be high quality organic types.

[RummyChick]

8000 mg of A and 50mg of zinc

[Mozzafiato]

I’ve had Eustachian Tube Dysfunction for about 10 years, off and on. When it’s on it is so debilitating and I’m barely able to communicate verbally with others and causes me to shut myself off. Most doctors misdiagnose it, and I’ve tried many remedies to no avail. I have been on a period of several months where it has occurred less often, which coincides with me bumping up my vitamin intake so you’re probably on to something there. Thanks!

[rlmorel]

LOL, I couldn’t read it because my ears were ringing too much!!

Thank you. I greatly appreciate your remembering somehow and pinging me on this-I will take a look at the article now...:)

[RummyChick]

it is probably better to keep taking the A and Zinc but because I always worry about liver damage I stop after awhile

mine isnt as severe as yours

magnesium probably doesnt hurt to try as well.

[rlmorel]

LOL...

Last time I went for a hearing test, the Otolaryngologist politely asked why I was there, and I honestly told him because my wife made me do it...:)

He didn't even miss a beat. Just kept writing, didn't even look up and mumbled something that sounded like "Unhhhggh..."

[nicollo]

Damn, I didn’t realize how much B12 Jack Daniels has until I read this.

[Bonemaker]

No lie mate!

[Gay State Conservative]

Actually I forgot to mention...the doctor told me that the fact that people constantly were telling me to turn the TV/radio down and that I was always asking people to repeat themselves was a classic indication of hearing loss.

[ChildOfThe60s]

Yep, B12 is not my problem either. Years of working in high noise environments while in college (sawmills). Loud music made its contribution of course, but 10 hours a day running saws probably is the worst culprit.

My bloodwork shows I’m in good shape for B12 and folic acid.

I told my wife, if there’s one thing positive I can look forward to with dying, it’s FINALLY getting peace and quiet. Shut the damn air raid sirens off.

[rlmorel]

My wife says I yell in normal conversation with others...

Maybe she got it wrong...maybe I am just pissed at everything!

[Gay State Conservative]

Yup,people told me that too...”you talk too loudly”.And sometimes I was even pi$$ed!