Table 2.
Prevalence of low and borderline vitamin B12 levels in the study groups.
| OH | SCH | Control | Total | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vitamin B12 deficiency, n (%) | .334 | ||||
| <133 pmol/L | 15 (33.3) | 23 (47.9) | 15 (37.5) | 53 (39.8) a | |
| ⩾133 pmol/L | 30 (66.7) | 25 (52.1) | 25 (62.5) | 80 (60.2) | |
| Borderline vitamin B12, n (%) | .018 | ||||
| 133-221 pmol/L | 16 (53.3) | 18 (72) | 8 (32) | 42 (52.5) | |
| >221 pmol/L | 14 (46.7) | 7 (28) | 17 (68) | 38 (47.5) | |
| Borderline-to-low vitamin B12, n (%) | .014 | ||||
| ⩽221 pmol/L | 31 (68.9) | 41 (85.4) | 23 (57.5) | 95 (71.4) | |
| >221 pmol/L | 14 (31.1) | 7 (14.6) | 17 (42.5) | 38 (28.6) |
Abbreviations: n, number; OH, overt hypothyroidism; SCH, subclinical hypothyroidism.
a
All B12 deficient patients were prescribed B12 supplementation and scheduled for repeat testing. Only 23/53 patients came for follow-up and most of them (82.6%) achieved B12 levels ⩾133 pmol/l after treatment.