Assessment of the Relationship Between Vitamin B12 Vitamin Deficiency and Severe Depression

Abstract

Vitamin B12 deficiency is an important public health problem. There are many publications in the literature showing the relationship between vitamin B12 deficiency and severe depression. Beck depression scale (BDI) is a depression scale based on clinical observation and data consisting of 21 symptom categories. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between vitamin B12 deficiency and depression by using BDI. This study was conducted with 114 patients who applied to the department of internal medicine, Afyon Health Science University Hospital with any complaints. Demographic features of patients such as age, gender, educational status, comorbid diseases and vitamin B12 levels, homocysteine levels, folic acid and ferritin levels were examined. Depression status of patients were determined to BDI. The patients were divided into 2 groups, vitamin B12 below and above 196 pg/mL and the data of the groups were compared. The mean BDI score of the group with low vitamin B12 level was 14.6±7.9, and the mean BDI score of the group with high vitamin B12 level was 11.6±7.2. When the two groups were compared according to the BDI score, the difference was statistically significant (p=0.041). As a result, the effect of vitamin B12 on cognitive functions and depressive symptoms is obvious. In our study, in accordance with the literature, BDI score was found to be high in the group with low vitamin B12. However, it may not be right to just connect it to the vitamin B12 level. Further, prospective studies are needed to determine the benefit of vitamin B12 in the treatment of depression.

Keywords

• Vitamin B12,Beck Depression Scale,Homocysteine,Folic acid,Ferritin

B12 Vitamini Eksikliğinin Depresyon İle İlişkisinin Değerlendirilmesi

Abstract

B12 vitamin eksikliği önemli bir toplum sağlığı sorunudur. Literatürde B12 vitamini eksikliğinin ağır depresyon ile ilişkisini gösteren birçok yayın mevcuttur. Beck Depresyon Ölçeği (BDÖ), 21 belirti kategorisinden oluşan klinik gözlem ve verilere dayanılarak oluşturulan bir depresyon ölçeğidir. Biz de bu çalışmada BDÖ’yü kullanarak B12 vitamini eksikliğinin depresyon ile ilişkisini araştırmayı amaçladık. Bu çalışma herhangi bir şikayetle Afyonkarahisar Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi Hastanesi İç Hastalıkları Anabilim Dalı Polikliniğine başvuran 114 hasta ile yapıldı. Hastaların yaş, cinsiyet, eğitim durumu, komorbid hastalıkları gibi demografik özellikleri ve B12 vitamin düzeyleri, homosistein düzeyleri, folik asit ve ferritin düzeyleri incelendi. BDÖ’ye göre hastaların depresyon durumları belirlendi. Hastalar B12 vitamini 196 pg/ml altında ve üstünde olmak üzere 2 gruba ayrılarak grupların verileri karşılaştırıldı. B12 vitamin düzeyi düşük olan grubun ortalama BDÖ skoru 14,6±7,9, B12 vitamin düzeyi yüksek olan grubun ortalama BDÖ skoru 11,6±7,2 idi. Her iki grup BDÖ skoruna göre karşılaştırıldığında aradaki fark istatistiki olarak anlamlı saptandı (p=0,041). Sonuç olarak B12 vitamininin kognitif fonksiyonlar ve depresif semptomlar üzerine etkisi aşikardır. Bizim çalışmamızda da literatür ile uyumlu olarak B12 vitamini düşük olan grupta BDÖ skoru anlamlı olarak yüksek saptandı. Ancak bunu sadece B12 vitamin düzeyine bağlamak doğru olmayabilir. B12 vitamininin depresyon tedavisinde faydasını belirlemek üzere daha geniş, prospektif çalışmalara ihtiyaç duyulmaktadır.

Keywords

• B12 vitamini,beck depresyon ölçeği,homosistein,folik asit,ferritin

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