 |
|
COMMENTS AND OPINIONS
Role of Vitamin B12 in Anemia in Old Age
Emmanuel Andrès, MD;
Laure Federici, MD
|
|
| Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings. |
|
|
|
I read with interest the article by den Elzen et al1 about vitamin B12 and folate and the risk of anemia in old age. Although the article is of scientific value, several points include confusion and, in our opinion, need clarification for clinical practice. One example of this is the conclusion of the article: " . . . anemia in 85-year-old subjects is associated with folate deficiency and elevated homocysteine levels but not with vitamin B12 deficiency."1(p2238)
In real life, because elderly patients often have several associated comorbid conditions and are commonly taking a variety of medications, some of which may contribute to anemia, the cause of anemia is frequently difficult to determine even after extensive investigations, including bone marrow examination.2 In most cases (approximately 80%), the cause of anemia in elderly patients can be identified. A significant proportion of elderly anemic patients (30%-50%) are presumed to have . . . [Full Text of this Article]
AUTHOR INFORMATION
 CiteULike  Connotea  Del.icio.us  Digg  Reddit  Technorati  Twitter
What's this?
RELATED ARTICLE
Vitamin B12 and Folate and the Risk of Anemia in Old Age: The Leiden 85-Plus Study
Wendy P. J. den Elzen, Rudi G. J. Westendorp, Marijke Frölich, Wouter de Ruijter, Willem J. J. Assendelft, and Jacobijn Gussekloo
Arch Intern Med. 2008;168(20):2238-2244.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
RELATED LETTER
Role of Vitamin B12 in Anemia in Old Age—Reply
Wendy P. J. den Elzen, Rudi G. J. Westendorp, Marijke Frölich, Wouter de Ruijter, Willem J. J. Assendelft, and Jacobijn Gussekloo
Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(12):1168.
EXTRACT
| FULL TEXT
|
