Frequency of Vitamin B12 Deficiency in H Pylori Positive Patients

Introduction: According to epidemiological data, patients who test positive for H pylori have a vitamin B12 deficit, which raises their morbidity. Geographical location affects the frequency of vitamin B12 insufficiency in patients with H pylori. and after looking through the literature, I discovered a lot of research on this topic, but since there aren't many studies in our area, I've chosen to assess the prevalence of vitamin B12 insufficiency in patients with H pylori infection in the community. Study design: Descriptive, cross sectional study. Settings: Department of Medicine, PAEC General Hospital, Islamabad. Study duration: March 2025 to May 2025. Materials & Methods: Regardless of gender, 100 patients aged 25 to 65 who reported having a history of upper stomach pain and bitter taste, heartburn, nausea, belching, or nausea at least three times per week and who tested positive for H pylori antigen in their stool were included. Participants were excluded if they had been on steroids for the previous month, already taking vitamin B12 supplements, had a history of H pylori eradication therapy, chronic renal failure, had undergone a gastricectomy, hepatic disease, hemolytic anemia, cancer, aplastic anemia, multiple myeloma, leukemia, or chronic lung disease, were using immunosuppressive or chemotherapeutic drugs, alcoholics. Each patient next had a 5 ml blood sample drawn, which was forwarded to the institution's pathology lab to determine whether or not they had a vitamin B12 deficiency (serum vitamin B12 levels <200 pg/dl). Results: The study's participants ranged in age from 25 to 65, with a mean age of 53.53 ± 12.41 years. With a male to female ratio of 1.4:1, 58 (58.0%) of the 100 patients were men and 42 (42.0%) were women. In our study, the average duration of symptoms was 23.11 ± 5.20 weeks. A mean BMI of 27.61 ± 3.04 kg/m2 was recorded. Of the patients in our study who tested positive for H pylori, 40 (40.0%) had vitamin B12 insufficiency. Conclusion: Our research supports the link between H. pylori infection and vitamin B12 deficiency, indicating that H. pylori may be a major risk factor for this dietary shortfall.