Vitamin B12 deficiency without anemia in Saudi Arabia: a single-center experience

Objectives The study aimed to estimate the prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency in adult Saudi patients and anemia in those patients. Furthermore, the mean level of vitamin B12 in anemic and nonanemic participants was estimated. Methodology This retrospective study involved the evaluation of medical records from adult Saudi Arabian participants who underwent vitamin B12 level testing for nonspecific symptoms during 1 years (2022-2023) at a single center in the Al Qassim region of Saudi Arabia. The data for vitamin B12 level and anemia status among B12-deficient patients were estimated to calculate the prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency and the prevalence of anemia in those patients. Results The prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency was 11.46% among 8365 participants. The mean age among all vitamin B12-deficient patients was significantly lower compared with those with normal vitamin B12 levels. Female patients had a lower mean vitamin B12 level than male patients. The prevalence of anemia in the vitamin B12deficient group was 23.46% among the total participants, with female patients having a significantly higher prevalence of anemia than males. The mean value for mean corpuscular volume (MCV) in anemic vitamin B12-deficient patients was normal, and the prevalence of macrocytosis was low (1.3%). The effect of gender on vitamin B12 deficiency and anemia status was significant. Conclusion The present study has provided additional evidence regarding the lack of a causal correlation between vitamin B12 deficiency and anemia. Moreover, the prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency and anemia was higher in female patients than in males. Egypt J Haematol 2023 48:365-370 (c) 2024 The Egyptian Journal of Haematology