Treatment of megaloblastic anemia should be done with vitamin B12 supplements, as in this type of anemia vitamin levels are very low and prevent the normal production of red blood cells.
Thus, there is a decrease in hemoglobin in the blood making it difficult to transport oxygen to cells, causing classic symptoms of anemia such as excessive fatigue, paleness or alterations in intestinal transit for example.
- However.
- The way vitamin B12 supplementation is performed varies depending on the type of megaloblastic anemia that can be harmful.
- I.
- E.
- When the body cannot use vitamin B12 found in food.
- Or because there are few foods rich in vitamin B12.
Pernicious megaloblastic anemia occurs because the body cannot absorb vitamin B12 ingested in the diet.
Therefore, the treatment to cure megaloblastic anemia involves taking vitamin B12 injections directly into the vein until levels of this vitamin in the body are balanced and hemoglobin levels in the blood are normalized.
However, to prevent this type of anemia from happening again, it may be recommended to take 6 to 8 vitamin B12 injections per year or take vitamin B12 supplement tablets daily for 18 months, again according to medical advice.
Vitamin B12 deficiency megaloblastic anemia is more common in vegetarians and occurs due to low intake of vitamin B12-rich foods such as liver fillets, oysters or salmon.
Thus, the treatment of this type of anemia can last about 1 month and is done with the taking of vitamin B12 supplements, purchased from pharmacies and taken once a week.
However, to ensure the definitive cure for anemia, it is important to ensure regular intake of foods rich in vitamin B12, in the case of vegetarians a good advice is to strengthen the diet with brewer’s yeast, as it is very rich in vitamin B12 and is not of animal origin.
See other foods that contain vitamin B12 that you can eat: Foods rich in vitamin B12.
The main symptoms of megaloblastic anemia include
When these symptoms appear, it is recommended to consult a generalist or hematologist to take blood samples and evaluate blood haemoglobin levels, confirming whether or not megaloblastic anemia is diagnosed.