ArticleBMC research notes2014
Low serum vitamin B12 levels among psychiatric patients admitted in Butabika mental hospital in Uganda.
Article in BMC research notes, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 27 citations in OpenAlex.
- Hallucinations and Vitamin B12 Deficiency: A Systematic Review.Psychopathology · 2024Pooled it
- The clinical utility and cost-effectiveness of routine vitamin BThe South African journal of psychiatry : SAJP : the journal of the Society of Psychiatrists of South Africa · 2025Article
- A rare event of late agranulocytosis during clozapine use in schizophrenia and the importance of monitoring vitamin B12 levels in patients with severe psychiatric conditions: a case report.Revista brasileira de psiquiatria (Sao Paulo, Brazil : 1999) · 2024Article
- Is Vitamin B12 Level a Reliable Predictor of Psychosis Severity in Male Patients with Megaloblastic Anemia at a Single Tertiary Hospital?International journal of general medicine · 2022Article
- Ecologies of care for serious mental illness in Uganda: A scoping review.Global social welfare : research, policy & practice · 2021Article
- Factors correlating to the propensity of general practitioners to substitute borderline vitamin B12 deficiency.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2018Article
- Neuropsychiatric and neurological problems among Vitamin B12 deficient young vegetarians.Neurosciences (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) · 2017Article
- Vitamin B-12 and Cognition in Children.Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) · 2016Review
- Article
- Multi-regression analysis revealed a relationship between l-serine and methionine, a component of one-carbon metabolism, in the normal control but not in the schizophrenia.Annals of general psychiatry · 2016Article
- Neuregulin 1 Promotes Glutathione-Dependent Neuronal Cobalamin Metabolism by Stimulating Cysteine Uptake.Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity · 2016Article
- Vitamin B12 deficiency among adult diabetic patients in Uganda: relation to glycaemic control and haemoglobin concentration.Journal of diabetes and metabolic disorders · 2015Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundPsychiatric manifestations have been noted in patients with low serum vitamin B12 levels even in the absence of other neurologic and/or haematologic abnormalities. There is no literature on low serum B12 prevalence among Ugandans with psychiatric illnesses. The aim of this study was to establish the prevalence, risk factors, and clinical manifestations of low serum vitamin B12 among psychiatric patients admitted in a Mental Health Hospital in Uganda.
methodUsing a cross sectional descriptive study design, 280 in-patients selected by systematic sampling were studied using a standardized protocol. Low serum vitamin B12 was defined as a level < 240 pg /mL.
resultsWe found a prevalence of low serum B12 in 28.6% of the participants. Absent vibration sense which was significantly associated (58.3% Vs. 26.7%: OR = 3.84 (95% C.I. 1.18, 12.49); p-value = 0.025) with low vitamin B12 was observed among 12 participants. Macro-ovalocytes present among 23 participants on peripheral film were significantly associated with low serum levels (73.9% Vs. 26.2%: OR = 7.99 (95% C.I. 3.01, 21.19) p-value < 0.0001). Factors significantly associated with low serum B12 levels included psychiatric diagnosis of schizophrenia (AOR 1.74 (95% C.I. 1.00, 3.02); p-value = 0.049), duration of psychiatric illness > or = 3 years (AOR 2.27 (95% C.I. 1.29, 3.98); p-value = 0.004), and hospitalization < 3 weeks (AOR 4.01 (95% C.I. 1.02, 15.79); p-value = 0.047). Female participants were associated with protection from low serum levels (AOR 0.4 (95% C.I. 0.22, 0.73); p-value = 0.003).
conclusionLow serum B12 is common among hospitalized psychiatric patients with the majority having no haematological findings. Associated risk factors included having a psychiatric diagnosis of schizophrenia, a shorter duration of hospitalization and longer duration of psychiatric illness. Female participants were less likely to have low serum vitamin B12 levels. Routine screening for serum vitamin B12 levels should be adopted by all hospitals for admitted psychiatric patients.
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