Association of Vitamin B12 Deficiency and Metformin Use in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes

Abstract

According to the available literature sources, the prevalence of diabetes in Ukraine is increasing every year which is related to the peculiarities of the age structure of the population, urbanization, dietary changes and sedentary lifestyle. More than 90% of the incidence is type 2 diabetes. Metformin is the most common oral antihyperglycemic drug in Ukraine. Among the most significant side effects of long-term metformin administration is the development of B12-deficiency anemia, which can lead to neuropathy, which is sometimes misdiagnosed as diabetic neuropathy and, accordingly, is improperly treated. This leads to the progression of irreversible changes in nerve fibers. At the same time, existing violations could be easily corrected in the early stages. [1] Aim. To investigate homocysteine and vitamin B12 levels in patients that receive metformin as monotherapy for a long time. Materials and Methods. A retrospective analysis of case histories of 40 patients with type 2 diabetes aged 45-60 years with a history of diabetes of at least 5 years was carried out. Group 1 included 25 patients who received regular metformin as monotherapy at a dose of 2 g per day for 5 years, group 2 included 15 patients who received drugs from the incretin group during the same period of time. Results. The analysis showed that the use of metformin in patients with diabetes was associated with decreased serum B12 concentrations compared to the group of type 2 diabetes patients who did not take metformin (lower than 150