Document Type
Article
Publication Date
7-26-2016
Abstract
Background: Vitamin B12 deficiency is highly prevalent among adult individuals with diabetes yet screening is infrequent in Uganda. There are currently no published data regarding the prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency and its associated factors among adult individuals with diabetes in sub-Saharan Africa. This study aimed at describing the prevalence and factors associated with vitamin B12 deficiency among this patient population in a resource constrained setting in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 280 eligible study participants attending the outpatient diabetic clinic at Mulago national referral and teaching hospital in Kampala, Uganda were enrolled. Their socio-demographic, clinical and laboratory data was collected using a pre-tested questionnaire. Results: The majority of the study participants were female (68.9 %), with a median age of 50 (IQR: 40-58) years. The mean (SD) serum vitamin B12 levels was 472.0 (16.4) pg/ml. The prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency was 10.7 %. Hemoglobin level < 12 g/dl (AOR 3.38; 95 % CI 1.38-8.32, p value = 0.008) and glycated hemoglobin ≥ 7 % (AOR 3.29; 1.44-7.51, p value = 0.005) were associated with vitamin B12 deficiency. Conclusions: Vitamin B12 deficiency is prevalent in approximately 1 in 10 of adult individuals with diabetes in Uganda. We recommend screening for vitamin B12 deficiency among diabetic patients in Uganda especially those with low hemoglobin concentrations and glycated hemoglobin levels ≥ 7 %.
Keywords
adults, Africa, Black, individuals with diabetes, Uganda, vitamin B12 deficiency
Language
English
Publication Title
Journal of Diabetes and Metabolic Disorders
Grant
R25NS080968
Rights
© 2016 The Author(s). This is an Open Access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Akabwai, G.P., Kibirige, D., Mugenyi, L. et al. Vitamin B12 deficiency among adult diabetic patients in Uganda: relation to glycaemic control and haemoglobin concentration. J Diabetes Metab Disord 15, 26 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40200-016-0250-x