Holotranscobalamin and Homocysteine as Biomarkers of Vitamin B12 Deficiency in Elderly Females

  • Pusparini, Yenny

Abstract

Vitamin B12 deficiency increases with age. The prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency in the elderly ranges between 5% and 40% depending on the cut-off point used. To date, there is no consensus on the cut-off points for the diagnosis of vitamin B12 deficiency. The objective of this study was to compare holotranscobalamin and homocysteine levels as biomarkers of vitamin B12 deficiency in elderly females. A cross-sectional study was performed from January until April 2018 on 80 elderly women residing in Mampang Prapatan district, South Jakarta.  Persons meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria were recruited as subjects of this study. We evaluated anthropometrics, dietary recall, food frequency questionnaire, serum holotranscobalamin and homocysteine levels. Statistical analysis was by Pearson correlation test at p<0.05. Mean age of the subjects was 65.4 ± 4 years. The prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency was 66.7 %, based on homocysteine cut-off level of > 10.5 µmol/L, and vitamin B12 deficiency based on holotranscobalamin level of ≤ 50 pmol/L was 30%. There was a negative correlation between homocysteine and holotranscobalamin levels at homocysteine levels of <10.4 µmol/L with r = -0.522; p=0.009. Vitamin B 12 deficiency prevalence based on homocysteine levels was higher than that based on holotranscobalamin levels in elderly women.

Published
2020-04-15
How to Cite
Pusparini, Yenny. (2020). Holotranscobalamin and Homocysteine as Biomarkers of Vitamin B12 Deficiency in Elderly Females. International Journal of Advanced Science and Technology, 29(05), 447 - 455. Retrieved from http://sersc.org/journals/index.php/IJAST/article/view/9561