Vol X, Dec `04

The B-12 study is examining the epidemiology of B-12 deficiencies in nursing facilities. Whenever investigators draw a patient's B-12 level, they complete a form that includes lab data, size and variation of red cells, clinical history, and symptomology.

"We've collected about 500 surveys so far," said Chris Patterson, MD, who is co-investigator along with Jose George, MD, "and we're finding that B-12 deficiency indeed is very common in patients who don't have anemia."

"Using an inexpensive blood test, we found that 1 in 4 patients is either B-12 deficient or marginal," said Dharmarajan, adding, "This is a very high number." The researchers also have discovered that 3 of 5 patients who were deficient did not have anemia. These preliminary results have some important implications, Dr. Dharmarajan suggested. "We can detect B-12 deficiencies using an inexpensive test. We can manage them with treatment that is inexpensive and free of side effects," he said. "Think of the consequences of someone having an irreversible neurologic problem because you failed to detect something that is easily treatable," he observed.

Investigators will continue to collect data in the coming months and present their findings via a poster at AMDA's Annual Symposium in New Orleans. "We hope to increase awareness of this issue and make policy makers see the value--in terms of outcomes and costs--of providing coverage for B-12 screenings, especially for the over-65 population," Patterson observed.