Cyanocobalamin Test

Submitted on March 27, 2012

The human body requires a range of different nutrients for the maintenance of its health and of various different body functions that take place. Apart from the large food groups like proteins and carbohydrates, the human body also needs vitamins and minerals for many of its important functions. Many people consume diets that are imbalanced. This leads to a situation where the patient may be suffering from a deficiency of vitamins or minerals. Some of these deficiencies produce telltale symptoms. However, in most cases, the patient will suffer from mild symptoms that go unnoticed for long periods of time.

Vitamin B12 is an important vitamin needed for the healthy production of nerve cells and blood cells in the human body. Red meat, white meat, fish, cheeses, milk, yogurt and other sea foods are good sources for vitamin B12. When there is a deficiency of vitamin B12, a doctor may recommend that the patient consume cyanocobalamin tablets. Cyanocobalamin is a synthetic version of vitamin B12 that helps with the same functions as vitamin B12 does itself.

Cyanocobalamin Test

There is another use of cyanocobalamin that can be applied in the form of a medical test. This cyanocobalamin test is used to determine the patient’s ability in the absorption of vitamin B12. The cyanocobalamin test is conducted to check if there is any deficiency in the individual’s ability to take in vitamin B12. Some people may be consuming sufficient quantities of vitamin B12 even though their blood tests show that they are suffering from vitamin B12 deficiency. In such a situation, the cyanocobalamin practice may be used.

Analysis

The cyanocobalamin analysis is done in several stages. When the patient presents at the clinic, his or her blood is analyzed for the presence of vitamin B12 and its quantity. This is then noted down. The patient is then given a tablet containing cyanocobalamin. After a period of time, the cyanocobalamin test is conducted on the blood. This cyanocobalamin analysis will show how much vitamin B12 is present in the blood. Upon consumption of the cyanocobalamin tablet, the patient should report higher vitamin B12 results. This is actually just an increase in the level of cyanocobalamin and not natural vitamin B12. If the increase in the level of cyanocobalamin is negligible, it indicates that the patient has an inability to take in vitamin B12 properly. This may be related to many different medical conditions. The patient will therefore be tested for the conditions that lead to poor absorption of vitamin B12.

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