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Association between vitamin B12 deficiency and risk of Paediatric narcolepsy: Evidence from cross-sectional study and

Chaofan Geng1, Leilei Tan2, Bo Zhao1

  • 1Department of Neurology & Innovation Center for Neurological Disorders, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Neurological Disorders, Beijing, China.

European Journal of Paediatric Neurology : EJPN : Official Journal of the European Paediatric Neurology Society
|March 14, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Vitamin B12 deficiency is linked to an increased risk of paediatric narcolepsy. Lower serum vitamin B12 levels were observed in children with narcolepsy, suggesting a potential causal association.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Nutritional Science

Background:

  • Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological sleep disorder with a suspected link to vitamin B12.
  • Previous research on vitamin B12 and narcolepsy has primarily focused on adult populations.
  • The role of vitamin B12 in paediatric narcolepsy requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the phenotypic and genetic links between serum vitamin B12 levels and narcolepsy in children.
  • To determine if vitamin B12 deficiency is associated with an increased risk of narcolepsy in paediatric patients.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of 60 paediatric narcolepsy patients and a matched control group.
  • Univariate and multivariate logistic regression to identify independent risk factors.
  • Bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to assess causality.

Main Results:

  • Paediatric narcolepsy patients exhibited significantly lower serum vitamin B12 and folate levels compared to controls.
  • Serum vitamin B12 was identified as the sole independent factor influencing paediatric narcolepsy (OR=0.96).
  • Mendelian randomization analysis indicated a potential causal association between lower vitamin B12 levels and narcolepsy risk (P=0.001).

Conclusions:

  • Vitamin B12 deficiency is associated with an elevated risk of paediatric narcolepsy at both phenotypic and genetic levels.
  • Findings offer novel insights for clinical approaches to narcolepsy prevention and treatment in children.
  • Highlights the importance of assessing vitamin B12 levels in paediatric narcolepsy cases.
Abstract

Keywords:
Causal relationshipsMendelian randomizationNarcolepsyRiskVitamin B12

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