Answer the question on basis of passage given below:

Vitamins represent a group of organic compounds which are needed in small amount for the healthy growth and maintenance of our body. These are not synthesized by the body and are supplied in the diet. The deficiency of vitamins can be supplemented with medicines.

The pernicious anaemia disease is associated with the deficiency of:

Vitamin \(B_{12}\)

The correct answer is option 4. Vitamin \(B_{12}\).

Pernicious anemia is primarily caused by a deficiency in vitamin \(B_{12}\) (cobalamin). This vitamin is crucial for the production of healthy red blood cells in the bone marrow. Without enough vitamin \(B_{12}\), the body produces larger than normal red blood cells called megaloblasts, which are unable to function properly, leading to anemia.

Vitamin \(B_{12}\) is also important for neurological function, DNA synthesis, and the maintenance of the myelin sheath, which insulates and protects nerves. A deficiency in vitamin \(B_{12}\) can lead to symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, pale skin, shortness of breath, neurological problems like tingling or numbness in the hands and feet, and difficulty walking.

Pernicious anemia specifically refers to anemia caused by a lack of intrinsic factor, a protein produced by the stomach lining that is necessary for the absorption of vitamin \(B_{12}\) in the small intestine. Intrinsic factor deficiency can result from autoimmune destruction of the cells that produce it or from other conditions affecting the stomach or small intestine.