What causes vitamin B-12 deficiency anemia?
• Pernicious anemia, an autoimmune disease that interferes with your stomach’s ability to produce intrinsic factor, which must bind with vitamin B-12 until it can be absorbed in the small intestine • Gastrectomy, gastric bypass surgery, or removal of the last portion of the small intestine where B-12 is absorbed • Digestive disorders such as bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine or parasitic infections • A dietary lack of meat, eggs, or dairy products — the primary food sources for Vitamin B-12 • Crohn’s disease • Pancreatic disorders
