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Intel Lab Diagnostics Dubai
Single Biomarker

Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin)

Cobalamin (B12)

Vitamin B12 is essential for nerve function, DNA synthesis, and red blood cell production. Deficiency can cause anaemia, neurological damage, and cognitive problems. Vegetarians are at higher risk.

BLOOD24 HOURSNO FASTING
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  • Free home collection
  • Physician-reviewed report

24 Hours

Turnaround

Blood

Sample

About This Test

What the Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin) test tells you

Vitamin B12, also called cobalamin, is needed for two jobs the body cannot do without: building new DNA whenever a cell divides, and maintaining the fatty myelin sheath that insulates nerve fibres. Bone marrow and nerve tissue are therefore the first places a shortfall shows itself, which is why deficiency typically appears as anaemia, as neurological symptoms, or as both together.

Absorbing it is unusually elaborate. B12 comes almost entirely from animal foods such as meat, fish, eggs and dairy. Stomach acid first releases it from food, a protein called intrinsic factor made by the stomach lining then escorts it along the gut, and the pair are taken up together in the final section of the small intestine. A problem anywhere along that chain, whether autoimmune damage to the stomach lining, gastric or intestinal surgery, Crohn's disease affecting the ileum, or years of acid-suppressing medication, can produce deficiency even on a generous diet. The liver holds a substantial reserve, so a new shortfall can take years to declare itself.

The blood test measures the total amount of B12 in serum, most of which is bound to a carrier protein that does not hand it over to tissues. That is why symptoms sometimes persist alongside a comfortable-looking result, and why your doctor may add homocysteine or a folate measurement to judge whether the vitamin is actually working inside cells. The result is always interpreted with the blood count, the diet history, current medicines and the neurological examination rather than on its own.

Sample type
Blood
Measured in
pg/mL
Turnaround
24 Hours
Fasting
Not required
Best for
All ages
Why Get Tested?

Recommended for evaluating fatigue, anaemia, neurological symptoms (tingling, numbness), cognitive decline, and for routine monitoring in vegetarians and the elderly.

  • Unexplained anaemia

    B12 is required to build red cells. Without it the marrow produces unusually large, immature cells, a pattern the blood count often flags before anything else.

  • Nerve and balance symptoms

    Tingling, numbness, burning feet or unsteady walking can reflect damage to the insulation around nerves, and B12 is among the first things checked.

  • Plant-based diets

    B12 comes almost exclusively from animal foods, so vegans and long-term vegetarians are monitored even when they feel well.

  • Long-term medication

    Metformin and acid-suppressing drugs taken over years reduce how much B12 is absorbed, which makes periodic testing sensible.

When This Test Is Ordered

Reasons your doctor may request the Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin) test

Your doctor may order this test for any of the reasons below. Some are routine checks, others follow specific symptoms or an earlier result.

  • Anaemia & nerve symptoms

    • Fatigue, breathlessness or pallor being investigated as possible anaemia.
    • Tingling, numbness, burning or unsteadiness affecting the hands and feet.

  • Blood count findings & cognitive symptoms

    • A blood count showing unusually large red cells or a low count without an obvious cause.
    • Memory difficulty, confusion or low mood being assessed, particularly in an older adult.

  • Diet, medication & previous surgery

    • A vegan or long-term vegetarian diet, or a breastfed infant whose mother follows one.
    • Years of metformin or acid-reducing medication, or previous stomach or bowel surgery.
Preparation
The short version
No prep needed.
  • Blood
  • Free home collection
  • No fasting
  • Results in 24 Hours
  1. 1
    Book any time

    No fasting window: pick any slot that suits you, online or on WhatsApp.

  2. 2
    We come to you

    A DHA-licensed nurse collects your sample at home or in the office: free home collection.

  3. 3
    Results in 24 Hours

    A physician-reviewed, easy-to-read report lands securely by WhatsApp and email.

Prep note
Physician reviewed

No fasting is needed for B12 on its own, though you may be asked to fast if it is drawn alongside a lipid or glucose test at the same visit.

Tell your doctor and the laboratory about any B12 tablets, sprays or injections you have had and roughly when, because recent supplementation raises the measurement and can hide a deficiency; testing is normally arranged before treatment starts or well after a course has finished. Never stop prescribed B12 without medical advice.

High-dose biotin supplements, often taken for hair and nails, can interfere with this type of assay, so ask whether to pause them for a few days beforehand. Bring a list of your regular medicines, particularly metformin and acid-reducing drugs, and mention any stomach or bowel surgery you have had.

Understanding Your Results

A result in the Normal band, 200 to 900 pg/mL, means the total amount of B12 in your serum is usual. A result in the Low band, 100 to 199 pg/mL, points to a shortfall, and the reason is more often absorption than diet: autoimmune damage to the stomach lining, atrophic gastritis or long-term acid suppression, disease or surgery affecting the last part of the small intestine, or long-term metformin. A vegan or strongly plant-based diet without fortified foods or a supplement is the dietary route. The test counts B12 bound to a carrier that does not hand it to cells, so symptoms can persist beside a comfortable-looking figure. Recent tablets, injections or high-dose multivitamins lift the measurement for months and can mask a real shortfall, and pregnancy lowers it. Your doctor may add homocysteine or folate, and reads the result with your blood count, diet, medicines and examination.

SmartReport
200
Healthy zone550pg/mLNormal
Reference ranges · pg/mL
Low
Low B12: may cause fatigue or nerve symptoms; discuss with your physician.
100–199
Normal
Normal B12 level.
200–900

Ranges are a guide: your physician interprets your result alongside your symptoms and history.

Reading a High or Low Result

  • What a higher result can point to

    • Recent B12 injections, tablets or high-dose multivitamins, which lift the measured level for a long time afterwards.
    • Liver disease, which releases stored B12 and its carrier proteins into the circulation.
    • Reduced kidney function, which slows clearance of the carrier proteins.
    • Certain bone marrow disorders, which increase production of the proteins that bind B12.
    • Interference from antibodies in the sample, occasionally seen in pernicious anaemia, which can falsely raise the value.

  • What a lower result can point to

    • A vegan or strongly plant-based diet without fortified foods or a supplement.
    • Pernicious anaemia, where the immune system attacks the stomach cells that make intrinsic factor.
    • Atrophic gastritis or long-term acid suppression, which prevent B12 from being released from food.
    • Disease or surgical removal of the final part of the small intestine, as in Crohn's disease or bowel resection.
    • Gastric bypass or other weight-loss surgery, which bypasses much of the absorptive route.
    • Long-term metformin therapy, which gradually reduces absorption.

These are possibilities, not diagnoses. A single value outside the reference range is interpreted alongside your symptoms, history and other tests: your doctor decides what it means for you.

Limitations & Safety

What this test cannot tell you

  • The test measures total B12, including the large share bound to a carrier that does not deliver it to cells, so a reassuring result does not always mean tissue supply is adequate.
  • Recent supplements or an injection raise the measurement and can mask a genuine deficiency for months.
  • Folate supplementation can correct the anaemia of B12 deficiency while nerve damage quietly continues, so the two are usually assessed together.
  • Pregnancy lowers the measured value without necessarily indicating deficiency.

Risks of the blood draw

  • Mild bruising or brief soreness where the needle went in.
  • Occasional lightheadedness, which settles after a few minutes of rest.
  • Bleeding or infection at the site, which is rare with sterile single-use equipment.
Key Points
  • 1B12 is essential for red cell production and for the insulating sheath around nerves.
  • 2It comes almost entirely from animal foods and needs a healthy stomach and ileum to be absorbed.
  • 3Liver stores are large, so a deficiency can develop quietly over years before symptoms appear.
  • 4A result that looks acceptable does not always rule out a functional shortfall; homocysteine can help clarify.
  • 5Nerve symptoms can progress even when there is no anaemia, or when folate has corrected it.
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Frequently Asked Questions

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Yes. Most B12 in the blood is bound to a carrier protein that does not release it to cells, so the total can look fine while the amount actually available is not. If your symptoms suggest deficiency, your doctor may add homocysteine or other markers that reflect what is happening inside cells.