Until the 1990s, the most common recognised cause of cobalamin deficiency in adults was pernicious anaemia [1]. Thanks to progress made during the last 10-20 years in the understanding of vitamin B12 metabolism, “new” physiopathological concepts have emerged or recognized, including a controversial medical concept entitled food-cobalamin malabsorption (FCM) in Anglo-Saxon literature, also known...

Vitamin B12 or cobalamin deficiency occurs frequently (> 20%) among elderly people, but it is often unrecognized because the clinical manifestations are subtle; they are also potentially serious, particularly from a neuropsychiatric and hematological perspective. Causes of the deficiency include, most frequently, food-cobalamin malabsorption syndrome (> 60% of all cases), pernicious anemia (15%...

Vitamin B12 is essential for neurological function and its deficiency is associated with many neuropsychiatric disorders. We report the case of a previously healthy 53-year-old male patient presenting with delirium and multiple neurological findings. Complete blood analysis indicated megaloblastic anemia. All infectious causes were excluded owing to negative cultures (blood and urine). Tests fo...

We have read with interest Hvas and Nexo’s very informative update article about the diagnosis and treatment of vitamin B12 deficiency. Authors also stated that vitamin B12 deficiency is an important public health problem. It is well known that diagnostic approach to this deficiency is very important to reveal the underlying cause that is usually attributed to malabsorption. Carmel et al.’s fou...

BACKGROUND Differences in the distribution of the MTRR rs326119 polymorphism (c.56 + 781 A > C) between patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) and controls have been described in Chinese individuals. The association is thought to be due to deregulation of homocysteine-cobalamin pathways. This has not been replicated in other populations. The primary objective of this study was to assess t...

BACKGROUND Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) is an essential cofactor in several metabolic pathways. Intracellular conversion of cobalamin to its two coenzymes, adenosylcobalamin in mitochondria and methylcobalamin in the cytoplasm, is necessary for the homeostasis of methylmalonic acid and homocysteine. Nine defects of intracellular cobalamin metabolism have been defined by means of somatic complementat...