: B12 deficiency and Parkinsonism

Kathrynne Holden, MS



Joined: 22 Jan 2007
Posts: 94
Location: www.nutritionucanlivewith.com
Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2009 10:22 am Post subject: Research: B12 deficiency and Parkinsonism

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Dear Friends,
B12 deficiency is increasingly common as we age, and the symptoms can be varied and confusing. This study notes "Parkinsonism" as a possible sign, and for those who actually PD, symptoms could be increased with B12 deficiency. It's a reminder to all of us to ask for a test for B12 deficiency, whether we have PD or not.
Best,
Kathrynne
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High Prevalence of Vitamin B12 Deficiency among Elderly Neurology Patients

Reference: “An investigation of vitamin B12 deficiency in elderly inpatients in neurology department,” Wang YH, Yan F, et al, Neurosci Bull, 2009; 25(4): 209-15. (Address: Department of Neurology, Changzheng hospital, Second Military University, Shanghai 200003, China. E-mail: yhwangch@sina.com ).

Summary: In a study involving 827 patients over the age of 60 (average age: 77 years) from the department of neurology of Shanghai Punan Hospital in China, of which 19.7% were found to be vitamin B12 deficient (more prevalent in females than males), low levels of serum vitamin B12 were associated with higher rates of gastrointestinal diseases, unsteady walking in the darkness, hypopallesthesia, and chronic diseases such as cerebral ischemia, hypertension, Parkinsonism, diabetes mellitus, and coronary heart disease.

Moreover, most of the patients with vitamin B12 deficiency were found to exhibit neuroelectricphysiological abnormalities.

Interestingly, only 9.82% of patients with vitamin B12 deficiency were found to have megaloblastic anemia.

The authors conclude, “Vitamin B12 deficiency is remarkably common in elderly patients in neurology department, with various and atypical clinical manifestations, and the neurological symptoms are more common than megaloblastic anemia symp toms.”

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Best regards,
Kathrynne Holden, MS
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