Anaemia: Vitamin B12
(asked on 3rd February 2015) - View Source
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on what evidence the standard time between prescribed injections of replacement vitamin B12 for pernicious anaemia sufferers was determined; and if he will review the guidance on that time.
The treatment of pernicious anaemia, the result of a vitamin B12 (cobalamin) deficiency, is well established and reported in the British Committee for Standards in Haematology (BCSH) document, Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of Cobalamin and Folate disorders, which was updated in May 2014.
Current clinical practice within the United Kingdom is to treat pernicious anaemia with Vitamin B12 intramuscular injections. The guideline states that standard maintenance therapy for patients presenting without neurological symptoms is 1,000 microgrammes every three months. Those with initial neurological symptoms should receive 1,000 microgrammes every two months. The guideline can be found via the BCSH website at the following link:
However, the frequency with which vitamin B12 injections are provided to patients with pernicious anaemia is matter for individual clinicians, taking into account the relevant clinical guidance, the prescribed dose and the patient’s response to the treatment.