Intest Res.  2017 Jan;15(1):103-108. 10.5217/ir.2017.15.1.103.

Status of serum vitamin B₁₂ and folate in patients with inflammatory bowel disease in China

• Huang S
• Ma J
• Zhu M
• Ran Z

• KMID: 2368492
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5217/ir.2017.15.1.103

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) primarily involves the intestinal tract and can affect vitamin absorption. This study was designed to assess the prevalence of vitamin B₁₂ and folate deficiencies in patients with IBD, and to identify the risk factors associated with abnormal serum vitamin B₁₂ and folate levels.
METHODS
We evaluated the medical records of 195 patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and 62 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), and selected 118 healthy subjects for the control group.
RESULTS
There were more CD patients with vitamin B₁₂ deficiency than UC patients (14.9% vs. 3.2%, P=0.014) and controls (14.9% vs. 4.2%, P=0.003). The prevalence of folate deficiency was higher in CD patients than in controls (13.3% vs. 3.4%, P=0.004). There were no significant differences in the serum vitamin B₁₂ and folate statuses of the UC and control groups. Patients with prior ileal or ileocolic resection showed a higher prevalence of abnormal vitamin B₁₂ levels than those without prior resection (n=6/16, n=23/179; P=0.018). A disease duration within 5 years was a risk factor of abnormal folate levels in CD patients.
CONCLUSIONS
This study showed that vitamin B₁₂ and folate deficiencies were more common in patients with CD than in UC patients and controls. Prior ileal or ileocolonic resection was a risk factor of serum vitamin B₁₂ abnormalities, and a disease duration within 5 years was a risk factor of low serum folate levels in CD patients.

Keyword

Vitamin B 12; Folate, Inflammatory bowel disease; Crohn disease; Colitis, ulcerative

MeSH Terms

Absorption
China*
Colitis, Ulcerative
Crohn Disease
Folic Acid*
Healthy Volunteers
Humans
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases*
Medical Records
Prevalence
Risk Factors
Vitamin B 12
Vitamins*
Folic Acid
Vitamin B 12
Vitamins

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Serum vitamin B12 and folate status in IBD patients and controls. (A) The mean serum vitamin B12 concentrations of CD patients was 359.53±170.08 pg/mL, This was significantly lower than in UC patients and controls. (B) The mean serum folate concentrations of CD patients was 7.11±4.75 ng/mL, This was significantly lower than in UC patients and controls. (C) The prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency was significantly higher in CD patients than in UC patients (14.9% vs. 3.2%, P=0.014) and controls (14.9% vs. 4.2%, P=0.003). (D) The prevalence of folate deficiency was higher in CD patients than in controls (13.3% vs. 3.4%, P=0.004). there was no significant difference between the CD and UC groups (13.3% vs. 9.7%, P=0.448). aP<0.05; bP<0.01; cP<0.001.

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