Correlation Between Homocysteine and Vitamin B12 Serum Level with Vitiligo Severity

Abstract

Vitiligo is an idiopathic disease characterized by depigmented patches on the skin due to loss of melanocytes. Vitiligo is often believed to be present in patients with vitamin B12 deficiency. Vitamin B12 are major determinants of homocysteine levels, and nutritional deficiency in these vitamins results in hyperhomocysteinemia. High levels of homocysteine are suspected to have toxic effects on melanocytes and cause vitiligo. This study aims to know the relation between serum homocysteine and vitamin B12 level with vitiligo severity. This work was an observational study with an analytic cross-sectional study design, consisting of 20 vitiligo patients aged 15-65 years who met inclusion and exclusion criteria. Vitiligo area severity index score was calculated, and serum homocysteine and vitamin B12 levels were determined by ELISA method. The mean age of vitiligo patients in this study was 44.55 ± 14.36 years and mostly female (85%). The most common type is vitiligo Vulgaris (70%) with the degree of severity based on the VASI score has a mean of 20.33 ± 25.64. The mean serum homocysteine level was 10.33 ± 10.01 μmol / L and vitamin B12 level was 138.77 ± 156.07 pmol / L. The association between serum homocysteine and vitamin B12 with a VASI score was not statistically significant. There was no significant correlation between homocysteine levels and serum vitamin B12 with the severity of vitiligo. But in this study see the average vitamin B12 levels are lower than normal values