AIDS Research

An Association Between Helicobacter pylori Infection and Serum Vitamin B12 Levels in Healthy Adults [In Process Citation]

J Clin Gastroenterol 2003 Feb;36(2):130-3 (ISSN: 0192-0790)

Shuval-Sudai O; Granot E

GOALS To determine whether serum vitamin B levels in non-vitamin B deficient healthy adults correlate with serological evidence of infection.(12) (12)BACKGROUND An association between infection and vitamin B deficiency has been recently reported.(12)STUDY 133 adults, presenting to a community based primary care clinic who met the following exclusion criteria; history of eradication or antacid use, liver disease, inflammatory bowel disease, previous gastrointestinal surgery, a vegetarian diet or multivitamin supplementation were studied. Blood was drawn for a complete blood count, serum vitamin B, gastrin, folic acid and IgG antibodies. Subjects with vitamin B </= 145 ng/mL (deficient range) were excluded.(12) (12)RESULTS Of 133 subjects 96 (72.2%) were seropositive for IgG antibodies (HP+). Age of HP(+) subjects did not differ from that of seronegative subjects (HP-); 52.8 +/- 1.6 mean +/- SE versus 49.2 +/- 2.9 ( = NS). Prevalence of HP seropositivity was significantly higher among subjects with borderline (>145-180 pg/mL) or low normal (>180-250 pg/mL) vitamin B levels than among those with vitamin B >250 pg/mL; among 25 subjects with vitamin B >145-180 pg/mL 92% were seropositive and among 47 subjects with vitamin B >180-250 pg/mL 89% were seropositive as compared with 31/61 (51%) of subjects with B >250 pg/mL, Fisher exact test < 0.0001. Vitamin B levels did not correlate with age (r = -0.07). Gastrin levels (pg/mL) did not differ significantly between groups; 70.2 +/- 5.8 in HP(+) versus 56.0 +/- 12.4 in HP(-). CONCLUSIONS The higher prevalence of infection among subjects with serum vitamin B levels that are within the lower end of the normal range suggests a causal relationship between infection and vitamin B levels in healthy adults.(12).