Table 1.
Comparison of Normal-B12 and High-B12 groups.
| Normal-B12 * (n = 785) |
High-B12 † (n = 785) |
p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| General characteristics | |||
| Age (years) | 82.0 (73.0–89.0) | 82.0 (73.0–89.0) | - |
| Sex (women) | 472 (60.1%) | 472 (60.1%) | - |
| Vitamin B12 (ng/L) | 388 (277–534) | 1408 (1147–1868) | <0.001 |
| Elevated B12-related causes | |||
| Chronic liver diseases | 25 (3.2%) | 54 (6.9%) | 0.001 |
| Acute liver diseases | 20 (2.5%) | 64 (8.2%) | <0.001 |
| Severe chronic kidney failure | 74 (9.4%) | 128 (16.3%) | <0.001 |
| Autoimmune/inflammatory diseases | 68 (8.7%) | 49 (6.2%) | 0.09 |
| Excessive vitamin B12 supplementation | 3 (0.4%) | 16 (2.0%) | 0.004 |
| Myeloid blood malignancies | 8 (1.0%) | 34 (4.3%) | <0.001 |
| Lymphoid blood malignancies | 25 (3.2%) | 24 (3.1%) | >0.99 |
| Solid cancers | |||
| Without metastases | 64 (8.2%) | 152 (19.4%) | <0.001 |
| With metastases | 33 (4.2%) | 100 (12.7%) | <0.001 |
| Site of primary cancer | |||
| Colon/rectum | 10 (1.3%) | 25 (3.2%) | 0.02 |
| Liver | 3 (0.4%) | 7 (0.9%) | 0.34 |
| Pancreas | 3 (0.4%) | 11 (1.4%) | 0.06 |
| Skin | 2 (0.3%) | 6 (0.8%) | 0.29 |
| Lungs | 9 (1.1%) | 16 (2.0%) | 0.23 |
| Prostate | 13 (1.7%) | 28 (3.6%) | 0.03 |
| Kidneys | 5 (0.6%) | 3 (0.4%) | 0.73 |
| Breast | 11 (1.4%) | 22 (2.8%) | 0.06 |
| Urothelium | 4 (0.5%) | 15 (1.9%) | 0.01 |
| Uterus (body/neck) and ovaries | 4 (0.5%) | 8 (1.0%) | 0.38 |
| Esophagus and stomach | 2 (0.3%) | 8 (1.0%) | 0.11 |
| Others | 3 (0.4%) | 22 (2.8%) | <0.001 |
| Location of metastases | |||
| Brain | 7 (0.9%) | 9 (1.1%) | 0.79 |
| Liver | 10 (1.3%) | 56 (7.1%) | <0.001 |
| Bones | 9 (1.1%) | 44 (5.6%) | <0.001 |
| Lungs | 9 (1.1%) | 28 (3.6%) | 0.002 |
| Lymph nodes | 7 (0.9%) | 30 (3.8%) | <0.001 |
| Others | 12 (1.5%) | 25 (3.2%) | 0.03 |
* B12 < 1000 ng/L. † B12 ≥ 1000 ng/L.