Vitamin B12 deficiency in a large cohort of healthcare professionals across the network of an eyecare organization in India

PURPOSE: To evaluate Vitamin B12 levels in healthcare professionals at a tertiary eyecare centre in India. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study conducted among healthcare professionals working at a tertiary eyecare centre in India. The sample included 2,374 employees. Chemiluminescent immunoassay method (reference range, 211–911 pg/ml) was used to assess serum vitamin B12 levels. Effect of age and gender was analyzed in vitamin B12 normal and vitamin B12 deficient groups. To evaluate risk factors, questions related to vitamin B12 deficiency were asked to the study participants in a survey. RESULTS: The mean age of employees was 29.2 ± 0.7 years. Around 26% of them were vitamin B12 deficient. The proportion of males in the vitamin B12 deficient group (61.2%) was significantly higher (P < 0.0001) than that of the vitamin B12 normal group (44.9%). There was no effect of age on vitamin B12 levels in both vitamin B12 normal and vitamin B12 deficient groups. Mean vitamin B12 levels in males (289.1 ± 22.2 pg/ml) was significantly lower (P < 0.0001) than that of females (338.7 ± 30.0 pg/ml). CONCLUSION: This is the first such study on eyecare professionals. One-fourth of the eyecare professionals were vitamin B12 deficient. The proportion of males was higher in the vitamin B12 deficiency group. Males had lower vitamin B12 levels than females. Annual blood tests for vitamin B12 are recommended for timely diagnosis and management of vitamin B12 deficiency, particularly in males.