Clinical Study of Patients With Vitamin B12 Deficiency Followed at a University Hospital in Brazil

Abstract

Background: Vitamin B12 is a vitamin essential for enzymatic reactions and, as it is not synthesized by the human body, and there may be a deficiency in cases of food restriction or reduced absorption. It is estimated that the prevalence of its deficiency is 20% in the population over 60 years and the clinical manifestations may be due to hematological and neurological or neuropsychiatric disorders. Methods: This is a descriptive study, using data from the medical records of patients with vitamin B12 deficiency followed at a University Hospital in Rio de Janeiro, from 2014 to 2016. The following parameters were evaluated: hemoglobin concentration (Hb), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), erythrocyte anisocytosis index (RDW), hematoscopy, platelet count, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) enzyme dosage, mini mental status examination (MMSE), vibratory sensitivity and strength in physical examination. Main Results: Data from the medical records of 20 patients with vitamin B12 levels <200 pg/dL were analyzed. The clinical and laboratory alterations found were: abnormal hematoscopy (90%), LDH > 200 IU/L (85%), RDW > 15% (80%), Hb < 12 g/dL (70%), MCV > 100 fL (65%), altered vibratory sensitivity (55%), platelet count < 150,000/uL (25%), altered MMSE (20%), altered strength (10%). Regarding the etiologies found, the most frequent were pernicious anemia (40%) and atrophic gastritis (20%). Conclusion: The most frequent alteration in this study was abnormal hematoscopy, and the most frequent etiology was pernicious anemia. Is important knowledge of the subject among health professionals, to identify and diagnose this deficiency at an early stage.