A Survey of Vitamin B₁₂ Deficiency in an Elderly Psychiatric Population

Abstract

For many years, cases of pernicious anaemia associated with mental symptoms have been described, and interest in these symptoms was renewed following the introduction of liver therapy (Richardson, 1929; Phillips, 1931). Interest later appeared to decline, so that MacDonald Holmes (1956), almost 20 years after the last important clinical review of the subject, could comment with justification that although the cerebral lesions of pernicious anaemia had been recognized for more than a century they were still much less familiar than the lesions which occurred in the spinal cord and peripheral nerves. Since then vitamin B12 deficiency as a cause of mental symptoms has given rise to increasing interest, and this is reflected in recent suggestions that serum vitamin B12 assays should be carried out routinely in psychiatric patients and might be more informative nowadays than the routine Wassermann reaction (Strachan and Henderson, 1965; Hunter and Matthews, 1965).

Screening of Psychiatric Patients for Hypovitaminosis B12

“…Thus as regards primary screening of patients for vitamin-B12 deficiency the inspection of the peripheral films was satisfactory. This accords with Shulman's (1967a ;1967b) findings.…”

Psychiatric aspects of epilepsy

“…They also observed that liver disease which hindered metabolism might increase the risk of toxicity. Reynolds et al (1966) raised the possibility that psychiatric disorders could be related to the lowered blood folate and vitamin B12 levels, while in a survey Shulman (1967) had found significant lowering of the vitamin B12 level in 8-5 % of 117 psychiatric patients. Strachan & Henderson (1965) had noted the association of mental symptoms with vitamin B12 deficiency even in the absence of anaemia.…”

Vitamin B12 Deficiency in Resistant Schizophrenia in Tropics

“…Vitamin B 12 therapy had a significant outcome in our cases. Low serum B 12 levels have been reported in resistant schizophrenia [1] and Vitamin B 12 therapy had good outcome in literature [5].…”