Treatment for megaloblastic anemia should be done with vitamin B12 supplementation because in this type of anemia vitamin levels are very low and prevent the normal production of red blood cells.
In this way, hemoglobin reduction occurs in the blood, making it difficult to transport oxygen to the cells that causes classic symptoms of anemia such as excessive fatigue, pallor or changes in intestinal transit, for example.
However, the way vitamin B12 supplementation is made varies according to the type of megaloblastic anemia that can be harmful, which is when the body is unable to use the vitamin B12 present in food, or because it consumes few food rich in b12 vitamin.
Treatment for pernicious megaloblastic anemia
Pernicious megaloblastic anemia occurs because the body can not absorb the vitamin B12 ingested in the diet.
In this way, the treatment to cure megaloblastic anemia is to take vitamin B12 injections directly into the vein until it balances the levels of this vitamin in the organism and the hemoglobin levels in the blood are normalized.
However, to prevent this type of anemia from developing again it may be recommended to take 6 to 8 vitamin B12 injections per year or take vitamin B12 supplement tablets every day for 18 months, always according to the medical recommendation.
Treatment for megaloblastic anemia due to vitamin B12 deficiency
Megaloblastic anemia due to vitamin B12 deficiency is more frequent in vegetarians and occurs due to the low intake of foods rich in vitamin B12 such as liver steak, oysters or salmon.
Thus, the treatment of this type of anemia can last about 1 month and is made with the ingestion of supplements of vitamin B12, bought in the pharmacies and ingested once a week.
However, to ensure the definitive cure of anemia it is important to ensure the regular intake of vitamin B12 rich foods. In the case of vegetarians, a good tip is to beef up brewer's yeast as it is very rich in vitamin B12 and is not of animal origin.
See other foods with vitamin B12 you can eat: Foods rich in vitamin B12.
Symptoms of megaloblastic anemia
The main symptoms of megaloblastic anemia include:
- Excessive tiredness;
- Muscle pain;
- Loss of appetite with weight loss;
- Changes in intestinal transit, with diarrhea or constipation;
- Abdominal pain or nausea;
- Tingling in the hands or feet;
- Pallor;
When these symptoms appear, it is advisable to consult a general practitioner or a hematologist to perform blood tests and evaluate hemoglobin levels in the blood, confirming or not the diagnosis of megaloblastic anemia.
