Profile of vitamin b12 deficiency in a urban neurology clinic in Mumbai, Maharashtra

Abstract

Vitamin B12 deficiency a systemic disease affecting the entire nervous system. In India, vitamin B12 deficiency is seen in about 3.8% of population, largely linked to the predominantly vegetarian diet. (See Table 1.) An observational study was conducted at an urban tertiary neurology clinic. We studied demographics, clinical features, biochemical, imaging and electrophysiological characteristics of all patients who were detected with low serum vitamin B12 levels. Out of approximately 5100 patients who presented to the clinic, 290 patients (males-161/females-129) had low vitamin B12 levels. The mean age and serum vitamin B12 levels were 39.73 ± 14.23 years and 171.29 ± 98.42 pcg/ml respectively. Majority were vegetarians (87.6%). Table 1 shows Various neurological diagnoses seen in patients with vitamin B12 deficiency Vitamin B12 deficiency presents with varied neurological manifestations. Whether low vitamin B12 levels in patients with primary headache especially migraine is an incidental or a causal finding, remains yet to be explored.