Asghar Shoaib, Tanvir Haider, Riaz Asad, Ejaz Muhammad Hamza, Akram Mamuna, Chowdhury Evan Al Muktadir, Shahid Salman
Internal Medicine, Sheikh Zayed Medical College/Hospital Rahim Yar Khan, Rahim Yar Khan, PAK.
Internal Medicine, City Hospital, Multan, Multan, PAK.
Cureus. 2024 Oct 23;16(10):e72184. doi: 10.7759/cureus.72184. eCollection 2024 Oct.
Background Metformin is frequently prescribed as a first-line oral hypoglycemic drug to treat insulin resistance-causing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Long-term metformin use results in vitamin B12 deficiency, which is frequently overlooked and undiagnosed. A severe deficit may cause severe anemia and gastrointestinal, or neurological issues. Studies are scarce on this issue in Pakistani patients with T2DM. The current study aimed to estimate the prevalence of metformin-induced vitamin B12 deficiency in T2DM patients and to explore how it relates to metformin dosage or duration of therapy. Methodology A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 260 T2DM patients using metformin therapy for more than a year and attending the outpatient diabetes clinic and the medicine department of Sheikh Zayed Hospital, Rahim Yar Khan, Pakistan, from August 2022 to October 2023. All socio-demographic, clinical, and general characteristics were collected. Blood samples were taken to measure the serum vitamin B12 levels, and based on these levels, deficient and normal group characteristics were compared. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 23 (Released 2015; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States). Results Based on the serum levels of vitamin B12 of the studied T2DM on the metformin regimen, the overall prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency was found to be 36.54% (95). The B12 deficiency was higher among the age group of 41-50 years (109, 41.9%), female gender (150, 57.7%, p-value=0.0035), urban residents (194, 74.6%), non-smokers (197, 75.8%), and with a history of chronic disease (131, 50.4%). There was a statistically significant difference in vitamin B12 levels based on T2DM duration (p=0.012), with a higher prevalence in patients with a longer diabetes history of more than two years. There was no discernible statistical relationship between patients receiving different dosages of metformin (odds ratio (OR)=0.8627; 95% confidence interval (CI) (0.5195, 1.4326); p-value=0.568), durations of metformin (OR=0.7400; 95% CI (0.442, 1.2325); p-value=0.247), or intake of vitamin B12 (OR=0.8532; 95% CI (0.5073, 1.4351); p-value=0.549). Conclusion The prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency impacted more than one-third of T2DM patients using metformin (36.54%). The risk of vitamin B12 deficiency may increase in females with higher metformin dosages and longer durations of treatment. Furthermore, a statistically significant correlation exists between vitamin B12 deficiency and the longer duration of T2DM. These findings highlight the relevance of routinely monitoring serum levels of vitamin B12 among those with T2DM, especially when metformin is being given for over a year or at doses greater than 1000 mg per day. These preventive strategies will aid in the early detection of vitamin B12 deficiency, allowing patients to be treated with supplementation before problems such as anemia or neuropathies arise, resulting in improved quality of life and a lower socioeconomic burden.
二甲双胍常被作为一线口服降糖药用于治疗由胰岛素抵抗引起的2型糖尿病(T2DM)。长期使用二甲双胍会导致维生素B12缺乏,而这一情况常被忽视且未得到诊断。严重缺乏可能会导致严重贫血以及胃肠道或神经方面的问题。在巴基斯坦的T2DM患者中,关于这个问题的研究很少。本研究旨在评估T2DM患者中二甲双胍所致维生素B12缺乏的患病率,并探讨其与二甲双胍剂量或治疗时长的关系。
2022年8月至2023年10月,对260名使用二甲双胍治疗超过一年且在巴基斯坦拉希姆亚尔汗谢赫扎耶德医院门诊糖尿病诊所和内科就诊的T2DM患者进行了一项描述性横断面研究。收集了所有社会人口统计学、临床和一般特征。采集血样以测量血清维生素B12水平,并基于这些水平比较缺乏组和正常组的特征。使用IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows 23版(2015年发布;IBM公司,美国纽约州阿蒙克)进行统计分析。
根据接受二甲双胍治疗方案的研究对象的血清维生素B12水平,发现维生素B12缺乏的总体患病率为36.54%(95)。在41 - 50岁年龄组(109人,41.9%)、女性(150人,57.7%,p值 = 0.0035)、城市居民(194人,74.6%)、非吸烟者(197人,75.8%)以及有慢性病病史者(131人,50.4%)中,B12缺乏情况更为严重。基于T2DM病程,维生素B12水平存在统计学显著差异(p = 0.012),糖尿病病史超过两年的患者患病率更高。接受不同剂量二甲双胍的患者(比值比(OR)= 0.8627;95%置信区间(CI)(0.5195,1.4326);p值 = 0.568)、二甲双胍治疗时长(OR = 0.7400;95% CI(0.442,1.2325);p值 = 0.247)或维生素B12摄入量(OR = 0.8532;95% CI(0.5073,1.4351);p值 = 0.549)之间均未发现明显的统计关系。
使用二甲双胍的T2DM患者中,超过三分之一(36.54%)受到维生素B12缺乏的影响。维生素B12缺乏的风险可能在使用较高剂量二甲双胍且治疗时长较长的女性中增加。此外,维生素B12缺乏与T2DM病程较长之间存在统计学显著相关性。这些发现凸显了在T2DM患者中常规监测血清维生素B12水平的重要性,尤其是在使用二甲双胍超过一年或每日剂量大于1000毫克时。这些预防策略将有助于早期发现维生素B12缺乏,使患者在出现贫血或神经病变等问题之前能够通过补充剂进行治疗,并改善生活质量,降低社会经济负担。