VITMAIN B12 ASSEVERITY AND PROGNOSTIC MARKER IN CHRONIC LIVER DISEASE

Chronic liver disease is an immunocompromised state is well known established fact but there are falselyelevated vitamin b12 levels in patients with chronic liver disease, which can be used as severity andprognostic marker. This study was designed to investigate the association between vitamin B12 levels andliver disease severity and long term prognosis in patients with chronic liver disease. Methods: Anobservational longitudinal study was carried over a period of 6 months among indoor patients admitted indepartment of medicine of a tertiary care hospital in North-Eastern India. The study was conducted on 50patientsdiagnosedwithchronicliverdiseaseand50ageandsexmatchedhealthypersonstakenascontrols.Serum vitamin B12 concentration and other blood parameters were determined. The data were analyzedaccordingly by descriptive statistics for the result. Result: The study population were predominantlymale with mean age 50.80±10.35. Mean total serum vitamin B12 concentration was significantly higher inpatients with chronic liver disease (1639 ± 504 pg/ml) when compared to control group (650 ± 300pg/ml).Also among patients with chronic liver disease Child-Pugh C (1858 ± 359 pg/mL) had higher B12 levelswhen compared to those with Child-Pugh B (1076 ± 370 pg/mL). Out of 50 people, 4 were died and theirmean B12 was (2113 ± 112 pg/ml). Conclusion: Falsely increased B12 levels are due to increasedexcretionofvitaminB12intoserumfromtheliver andtheseserumB12levelscorrelateswiththeseverityandprognosisof thepatient.