Vitamin B12 deficiency in diabetic patients treated with metformin: A cross-sectional study

This study set out to evaluate the rate of vitamin B12 deficiency in Vietnamese patients with type 2 diabetes who were t reated with metformin and to investigate factors associated with vitamin B12 deficiency. This is a cross-sectional study that was conducted in Vinmec Central Park Hospital from February to June 2023. The clinical and paraclinical characteristics of the participants were recorded, and the levels of v itamin B12 and folate were measured. The rate of vitamin B12 deficiency in patients treated with metformin was found to be 18.6%. Further, the duration of diabetes, duration of metformin use, metformin dose, and hemoglobin levels were statistically associated with vitamin B12 deficiency with OR (95% CI) = 1.12 (1.03–1.19), 1.01 (1.00–1.02), 1.002 (1.001–1.002), 0.74 (0.55–0.99), respectively. After adjusting for covariates, a metformin dose greater than the median dose remained the only parameter associated with vitamin B12 deficiency, with OR (95% CI) = 4.10 (1.62–10.36). Moreover, when combining both long-term use of metformin and a metformin dose greater than the median dose, the OR increased to 5.25 (95% CI: 2.11–13.15). These results demonstrate that vitamin B12 deficiency in patients treated with metformin is quite prevalent in Vietnam and that those with long-term use of metformin (48 months or more) and high metformin dose (1000 mg/day or more) are at high risk of experiencing this adverse effect and so require screening.
Source: PLoS One - Category: Biomedical Science Authors: Source Type: research