Serum vitamin B12 levels in the aged

Abstract

In an attempt to throw light on the question of age-related variations in the normal blood content of cobalamin and on the frequency of deficiencies of antimegaloblastic nutriments in the elderly, 273 geriatric patients have been investigated. Low serum vitamin B12 values were found in one third of these patients, due to latent pernicious anaemia in five and malabsorption in seven cases, and probably caused by nutritional deficiency of folate or cobalamin in 78 cases. In that part of the series with apparently normal vitamin B12 levels, the mean value (379+/-14 pg/ml) was lower than the mean (456+/-20 pg/ml) for a younger control group. However, this cannot be taken as a sign of a physiological lowering of the cobalamin values with age, as nutritional deficiencies could not be ruled out in this part of the series. It is concluded that serum vitamin B12 assays should be performed rather liberally in the aged. Patients with nutritional deficiency of cobalamin or folate should be treated, even if frank megaloblastic anaemia is not present.