Defining the breakdown value of vitamin B12 as an important factor in the development of mild cognitive impairment

Abstract

Introduction. The aim of our research is to determine the breakdown value of vitamin B12 in the blood that causes mild cognitive impairment. Material and Methods. Two hundred respondents participated in this research. Using screening tests, mild cognitive impairment was found in 50 patients, while in 150 patients the cognitive function was preserved. Borderline values and units of vitamin B12 concentration were determined according to the standards of the local laboratory and their reference values ranged from 138.00 to 652.00 pmol/l. Results. Using the t-test for independent samples, it was determined that there was a statistically significant difference in the values of vitamin B12 in relation to whether or not the respondents had mild cognitive impairment (? = 0.000), i.e. that respondents with mild cognitive impairment - 225.66 had significantly lower values of vitamin B12 than those without mild cognitive impairment - 421.06. The statistic analysis revealed that the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was significantly above 0,5 (0.968) and this result was statistically significant (? < 0.0005). The breakdown value of vitamin B12 was determined as the maximum product between sensitivity and specificity. Conclusion. In this research, we determined that there was a statistically significant difference in the values of vitamin B12 in relation to whether or not the respondents had mild cognitive impairment. Being a significant risk factor for mild cognitive impairment, we defined the breakdown value of vitamin B12 which induces mild cognitive impairment of 300.5 pmol/l.