Prevalence of Cobalamin deficiency among Patients with Neuropsychiatric Disorders in a Tertiary Health Facility in North-western Nigeria

Background: Cobalamin deficiency causes defective methylation of myelin resulting in progressive neuropathy. This affects the peripheral sensory nerves, posterior and lateral columns of the spinal cord. Inadequate methylation of myelin affects its quality and sufficiency with resultant interference of neuronal signal transmission. Cobalamin deficiency is a major public health problem that adversely affects the quality of life due to complications like neurological deficit and anaemia. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of cobalamin deficiency in adult patients attending neurology and psychiatric units of Ahmadu Bello University Hospital (ABUTH), Zaria. Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study involving the use of a structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire and some laboratory tests on the subjects. This study was carried out on subjects with Neurological and/or psychiatric problems aged between 18 to 80 years. Table was used to show cobalamin level and some haematological variables of the study subjects. Results: A total of 68 subjects were enrolled into this study, with male being 45 (66.2%). The mean (±Standard Deviation) age and the median with interquartile range (IQR) of the serum cobalamin of the study subjects were 34.37±13.70 years and 140 (30.00) pmol/L respectively. This study showed the prevalence of cobalamin deficiency among the study subjects to be 67.7%. Conclusion: This study found high cobalamin deficiency among the study subjects.