Hypervitaminemia B12 and malignant diseases: report of a cross-sectional study in an acute geriatric unit

Hypervitaminemia B12 has been associated or linked with a range of conditions, the majority of which are serious. Between March 26^th, 2014 and June 30^th, 2014, all patients aged ≥65 years, hospitalized in an acute geriatric unit in the university hospital center of Reims (France) were included in an observational study. 190 patients were included. 48 patients presented a hypervitaminemia B12 (25.3%). The gender ratio (M/F) of the population with elevated vitamin B12 levels was 0.5. 41 patients were aged ≥75 years (85.4%). The mean vitamin B12 level was 1,085 pg/mL (±428). 30 patients (62.5%) presented with moderate hypervitaminemia (<1,085 pg/mL), while 18 patients (37.5%) presented with elevated levels >1,085 pg/mL. Using the Chi2 or Fisher tests and the Student test, the factors with a significant link to hypervitaminemia B12 in univariate analysis were: acute renal failure (p=0.0002); liver diseases (p <0.0001) and solid neoplasia (p=0.0030). Using binary logistic regression for multivariate analysis, variables independently related to hypervitaminemia B12 were: acute renal failure: (odds ratio [OR]=6.3; 95%CI=2.7-8.1; p <0.0001); liver diseases (OR=5.4; 95%CI=3.1-6.9; p <0.0001); hematological disorders (OR=5.7; p=0.001); and age ≥75 years (OR=3.7; 95%CI=1.9-4.8; p=0.04). Moreover, there is an apparent correlation between rates of hypervitaminemia B12 and the number of etiologies identified (r=0.8; p=0.04). Our study confirm the significance of the link between hypervitaminemia B12 and hematological disorders in elderly patients, with a 5.7 fold higher risk.