CROSS-SECTIONAL ANALYSIS OF PREVALENCE OF VITAMIN B 12 DEFICIENCY IN DIABETIC POPULATION

Objective: To determine the prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency in diabetic population presenting at Liaquat University Hospital, Hyderabad. Methodology: This observation- cross sectional study was conducted over 510 diabetic patients at Liaquat University Hospital Hyderabad. Patients above 45 years of age, of either gender, diagnosed with diabetes for more than 2 years duration were evaluated for serum vitamin B12 level. The data was analyzed in statistical software (SPSS) and the p-value ≤0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: During seven month study period, total 510 patients with diabetes were evaluated, Vitamin B 12 deficiency was found in 183 patients i.e. 35.88% with a level of <200 ρg/ml while 327 i.e. 30.6 % patients were having normal B-12 levels. Among Vitamin B12 Diabetic Population, 112 (61.2%) were males and 71 (38.8%) were females. Around 2/3rd of the patients were using metformin as hypoglycemic agent while the rest were on other oral hypoglycemic agents or on insulin. 81.17% patients were taking either H2 Blocker or Proton Pump Inhibitor, while around half (46.86%) were on multivitamins. Conclusion: The Vitamin B12 deficiency is diabetic population was found to be 35.88%. This leads a serious concern for the primary care physician to look for vitamin B-12 deficiency even if the patient is asymptomatic for B12 deficiency. Key Words: Diabetic population, Vitamin B12, Megaloblastic anemia.