Misdiagnosed vitamin B12 deficiency a challenge to be confronted by use of modern screening markers

Abstract

Vitamin B12 deficiency is one of the common conditions in the elderly population leading to confusion, depression, memory loss and balance problems. Unfortunately there is no gold standard test for the diagnosis of cobalamin deficiency and a wide range of variation in reference levels according to country, and laboratory assay used. This poses a problem in diagnosing this condition making it a commonly misdiagnosed medical entity. There is current emphasis on need for clearer guidelines and much research is still being done to pave ways to determine better reference values for serum B12 and other screening tests. It is advised that screening methods are used adjunctively for the purpose of screening individuals.