Is There An Association Between Vitamin B12 Level and Vitamin D Status in Children?

Abstract

Vitamin B12 (vit B12) or cobalamin is a water-soluble vitamin that acts as a coenzyme and is effective in the formation of a healthy nervous system and erythrocytes. In its deficiency, except fatigue and weakness, may cause serious signs and symptoms such as macrocytic anemia, cognitive-developmental delay, irreversible neurological damage. In this study, hemoglobin, leukocyte, thrombocyte, iron, ironbinding, ferritin, and vit B12 levels were evaluated retrospectively during the routine controls of 689 children 5 to 18 years old without any complaints. In addition, the relationship between serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D (vit D) levels and vit B12 levels, which were evaluated in 487 of the cases, was investigated. Vit B12 deficiency was diagnosed in a total of 160 (23.2%) cases, 99 (24.4%) girls and 61 (21.4%) boys. Vit B12 level was significantly lower in children over 12 years old. Vitamin D deficiency was found to be 49.3% in 487 cases and was significantly higher in the group under 12 years and girls. The frequency of anemia was 7.2% in this group. There was a significant relationship between vit D deficiency and vit B12 deficiency. In conclusion, vit B12 deficiency is common in school-age children, especially in the adolescent age group. It should be known that vit D deficiency may also be present in vit B12 deficiency cases. More comprehensive studies are needed to reveal the relationship between B12 and vit D deficiency.

Vitamin B12 Deficiency in Childood: a Single Centre Experience

“…The relationship between the prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency and genders is not welldefined. In the reports of adult studies the results are controversial, in children gender seems not having significant effect in the prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency, as in our study (El-Khateeb et al, 2014;Karabayir et al, 2022).…”

“…Our deficiency rate was lower than other parts of Turkey, but higher than other parts of the world (Barnabé et al, 2015;Cuevas-Nasu et al, 2012;Çolak A Celep, G., Evsile, S. (2023), Vitamin B12 Deficiency in Childood: A Single Centre Experience, Sabuncuoglu Serefeddin Health Science, 5(1), 34-43 et al, 2012) . However, vitamin B12 deficiency was found to be more frequent in adolescence (Karabayir, Teber, Dursun, & Pehlivan, 2022;Sarna et al, 2020) .…”

The Epidemiology of Deficiency of Vitamin B12 in Preschool Children in Turkey

“…The importance of determining the frequency of vitamin B12 deficiency is that the permanent effects of megaloblastic anemia and the negative consequences that may occur in neurological systems can be prevented with early diagnosis and treatment. Several countries, Turkey in particular, have reported or measured the prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency or marginal vitamin B12 deficiency [3,9,[13][14][15][16]. In Şanlıurfa, the eastern province of Turkey, vitamin B12 deficiency was detected at very high rates of 72% in pregnant mothers and 41% in the cord blood of babies [3].…”

Diagnostic reliability of serum active B12 (holo-transcobalamin) in true evaluation of vitamin B12 deficiency: Relevance in current perspective

“…Emerging evidence indicated a significant upsurge of vit B12 deficiency in infants, school going children [5,6], adolescents, pregnant women and women of reproductive age [7,8]. Vitamin D deficiency is perceived to prevent vit B12 absorption causing vit B12 deficiency and there is a significant positive correlation of vitamin D deficiency with vit B12 deficiency [9]. The current prevalence of vitamin D deficiency is 70-80% in school going children [10] and 90-95% in pregnant women [11] which might attribute to increased prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency in them.…”