Objective To investigate the status of vitamin B 12 deficiency in elderly inpatients in the department of neurology. Methods A total number of 827 patients in the department of neurology of Shanghai Punan hospital, fr...Objective To investigate the status of vitamin B 12 deficiency in elderly inpatients in the department of neurology. Methods A total number of 827 patients in the department of neurology of Shanghai Punan hospital, from March 2007 to July 2008, were employed in the present study. They were 60 years or older, and the average age was 77.1±7.5 years old. All the patients were diagnosed with no severe hepatic or renal dysfunction, without any usage of vitamin B 12 during the previous 3 months before the detection. The levels of serum vitamin B 12, folate and homocysteine （Hcy） were evaluated. The patients with vitamin B 12 deficiency were screened. The resulting symptoms, positive signs of neurological examination, and the neuroelectricphysiological results were compared between patients with or without vitamin B 12 deficiency. Results Vitamin B 12 deficiency was found in 163 patients （19.71% of the total patients）, and was more prevalent in female than in male patients, also with increased incidences with aging. Patients with low levels of serum vitamin B 12 exhibited higher rate of gastrointestinal diseases, while only 9.82% of the vitamin B 12 deficient patients had megaloblastic anemia. Symptoms of vitamin B 12 deficiency included unsteadily walking in the darkness and hypopallesthesia, and some chronic diseases such as cerebral ischemia, hypertension, Parkinson＇s disease （Parkinsonism）, diabetes mellitus and coronary heart disease. Most of the vitamin B 12 deficient patients had neuroelectricphysiological abnormalities. Conclusion Vitamin B 12 deficiency is remarkably common in elderly patients in neurology department, with various and atypical clinical manifestations, and the neurological symptoms are more common than megaloblastic anemia symptoms.展开更多
基金supported by the grant from Shanghai Pudong New District Science and Technology Committee (No. PKJ2008-Y09)Shanghai Pudong New District Social Development Bureau (No. PDRd2006-09)
文摘Objective To investigate the status of vitamin B 12 deficiency in elderly inpatients in the department of neurology. Methods A total number of 827 patients in the department of neurology of Shanghai Punan hospital, from March 2007 to July 2008, were employed in the present study. They were 60 years or older, and the average age was 77.1±7.5 years old. All the patients were diagnosed with no severe hepatic or renal dysfunction, without any usage of vitamin B 12 during the previous 3 months before the detection. The levels of serum vitamin B 12, folate and homocysteine （Hcy） were evaluated. The patients with vitamin B 12 deficiency were screened. The resulting symptoms, positive signs of neurological examination, and the neuroelectricphysiological results were compared between patients with or without vitamin B 12 deficiency. Results Vitamin B 12 deficiency was found in 163 patients （19.71% of the total patients）, and was more prevalent in female than in male patients, also with increased incidences with aging. Patients with low levels of serum vitamin B 12 exhibited higher rate of gastrointestinal diseases, while only 9.82% of the vitamin B 12 deficient patients had megaloblastic anemia. Symptoms of vitamin B 12 deficiency included unsteadily walking in the darkness and hypopallesthesia, and some chronic diseases such as cerebral ischemia, hypertension, Parkinson＇s disease （Parkinsonism）, diabetes mellitus and coronary heart disease. Most of the vitamin B 12 deficient patients had neuroelectricphysiological abnormalities. Conclusion Vitamin B 12 deficiency is remarkably common in elderly patients in neurology department, with various and atypical clinical manifestations, and the neurological symptoms are more common than megaloblastic anemia symptoms.
