Literature DB >> 26677282

Holotranscobalamin and MethylMalonic Acid as the Diagnostic Tool for Vitamin B12 Deficiency.

Kanica Kaushal1.   

Abstract

Entities:  

Year:  2015        PMID: 26677282      PMCID: PMC4681207          DOI: 10.4103/0019-5154.169142

Source DB:  PubMed          Journal:  Indian J Dermatol        ISSN: 0019-5154            Impact factor:   1.494


× No keyword cloud information.
Sir, This is in reference to the article, “A Study of Clinical Profile of Vitamin B12 Deficiency with Special Reference to Dermatologic Manifestations in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Sub-Himalayan Bengal” published in Indian J Dermatol 2015;60:419.[1] The authors have done a commendable job to know the clinical profile of Vitamin B12 deficiency in this region and to find out if there is any relationship between dermatologic manifestations with Vitamin B12 deficiency. However, I have a few concerns regarding the methodology being adopted in the present study. The authors have titled their study as Clinical Profile of “Vitamin B12 Deficiency.” In the material and methods, the authors have written that the inclusion criteria for the study were symptomatic anemia patients requiring hospital admission with one or more laboratory investigations which were mean corpuscular volume (MCV), hemoglobin, white blood cells count, and platelet count. The diagnostic criterion for Vitamin B12 deficiency has not been taken robustly. The authors have based the diagnosis of Vitamin B12 deficiency on MCV only, but MCV is altered in a number of conditions and is not diagnostic of Vitamin B12 deficiency. Serum B12 levels are usually advised by clinicians (as the authors have later mentioned in their results) but even total serum Vitamin B12 is a late, relatively insensitive and unspecific biomarker of deficiency. Holotranscobalamin (holoTC), also known as active B12, is the earliest laboratory parameter for B12 deficiency, while methylmalonic acid (MMA) is a functional B12 marker that will increase when the B12 stores are depleted. Isolated lowering of holoTC shows B12 depletion (negative B12 balance), while lowered holoTC plus elevated MMA and homocysteine indicates a metabolically manifest B12 deficiency, although there still may be no clinical symptoms.[2] Further, the authors mentioned to have excluded those already on Vitamin B12 supplementations. It seems unjustifiable to exclude the patients on Vitamin B12 supplementations as a hematologic response to Vitamin B12 supplementation is not predictable.[3] The readers would have been benefitted, if the authors had cleared on the duration for which the patients were taking Vitamin B12 supplements and they should also have done the serum B12 levels in these patients, if not the above-mentioned tests. Further the authors have stated this study to be the prospective observational study but as is clear from the methodology adopted later, this is a basic cross-sectional study (prevalence study) as it is an observational study in which exposure and disease are determined at the same point in time in a given population whereas the hallmark of the prospective study is the follow-up of patients which is not done in the present study.
  3 in total

1.  How I treat cobalamin (vitamin B12) deficiency.

Authors:  Ralph Carmel
Journal:  Blood       Date:  2008-07-07       Impact factor: 22.113

2.  Causes and early diagnosis of vitamin B12 deficiency.

Authors:  Wolfgang Herrmann; Rima Obeid
Journal:  Dtsch Arztebl Int       Date:  2008-10-03       Impact factor: 5.594

3.  A Study of Clinical Profile of Vitamin B12 Deficiency with Special Reference to Dermatologic Manifestations in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Sub-Himalayan Bengal.

Authors:  Kaushik Sen; Pradyot Sinhamahapatra; Joseph Lalhmachhuana; Subhabrata Ray
Journal:  Indian J Dermatol       Date:  2015 Jul-Aug       Impact factor: 1.494

  3 in total

北京卡尤迪生物科技股份有限公司 © 2022-2023.