Abstract

Maryame El Khayari, Amina Amjahdi and Rachida Bouagaga

ABSTRACT

Vitamin B12 or cobalamin deficiency is relatively common; thus 15% of elderly people have a B12 deficiency. This deficiency is, however, often overlooked, particularly due to more or less crude clinical and/or biological manifestations. In adults, its main etiologies are lack of intake, especially in malnourished individuals, institutionalized subjects or from developing countries; the syndrome of non-dissociation of B12 from its carrier proteins; and classic Biermer disease (BD). These last two etiologies represent respectively nearly 60 and 20% of B12 deficiencies.[1]