Vitamin B12 and vitamin B9 (folate) status in Togolese schoolchildren
Abstract
AIM To determine the status of vitamin B12 and vitamin B9 (folate) and assess the contribution of these vitamins to anaemia in Togolese children.
METHODS Red blood cell parameters, vitamin B12 and vitamin B9 were measured in 155 schoolchildren aged 6-15 years old.
RESULTS Mean values of vitamin B12 and vitamin B9 were 623.83 ± 263.35 pmol/L   and 10.76 ± 4.36 nmol/L respectively. There were no cases of vitamin B12 deficiency. Forty children had a high level of vitamin B12 >800 pmol/L. Twenty four children were found to be deficient in vitamin B9 but their haematological profile was dominated by hypochromic microcytic anaemia suggesting iron deficiency anaemia rather than megaloblastic anaemia.
CONCLUSION This study suggests that vitamin B12 and vitamin B9 are not important causes of anaemia in Togolese children.
Keywords
References
OMS / UNICEF Joint statement: Focusing on anaemia, towards an integrated approach for effective anaemia control. OMS, 2004. Available at: http://www.who.int/nutrition/publications/micronutrients/WHOandUNICEF_statement_anaemia/en/ (accessed 20 November 2013).
WHO Child Growth Standards 2009. Available at: http://www.who.int/childgrowth/standards/en/ (accessed 20 November 2013)
World Health Organisation. Haemoglobin concentrations for the diagnosis of anaemia and assessment of severity. Available at : http://www.who.int/vmnis/indicators/haemoglobin.pdf (accessed 20 November 2013).
The World Bank Group Togo data profile Source: World Development Indicators database Available at: http://ddp-ext.worldbank.org (accessed 20 January 2012)
Lamparelli RD, Van Der Westhuysen J et al. Nutritional anaemia in 11-year-old schoolchildren in Western Cape. S Afr Med J 1988;73(8):473-6
Galukande M, Jombwe J, Fualal J, R Baingana, Gakwaya A. Reference values for Serum levels of Folic acid and Vitamin B12 in a young adult Ugandan population. African Health Sciences 2011;11(2):240-243
Vanderjagt DJ, Spelman K, Ambe J et al. Folates and vitamin B12 status of adolescents girls in Northern Nigeria. J Natl Med Assoc 2000;92:334-340
Osifo BO, Lukanmbi FA, Boladeoku JO. Reference values for serum folates, erythrocyte folate and serum cobalamine in Nigeria adolescents. Trop Geogr. 1986;38(3):259-64
Guéant JL, Chabi NW, Guéant-Rodriguez RM et al. Environmental influence of the world-wide prevalence of a 776C>G variant in the transcobalamin gene (TCN2). J Med Genet. 2007;44:363-367
Guéant RM, Guéant JL, Debard R et al. Prevalence of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase 677 and 1298C alleles and folate status: a comparative study in Mexican, West African and European populations. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006;83 (3):701-710
Papandreou D, Mavromichalis I, Makedou A, Rousso I, Arvanitidou M. Total serum homocysteine, folate and vitamin B12 in a Greek school age population. Clinical Nutrition. 2006;25:797–802 (doi:10.1016/j.clnu.2006.02.006)
Bjørke-Monsen AL , Ueland PM. Homocysteine and methylmalonic acid in diagnosis and risk assessment from infancy to adolescence. Am J Clin Nutr. 2003;78(1):7-21
Margo G, Baroni Y, Green R, Metz J. Anemia in urban underpriviliged children. Iron, folate and vitamin B12 nutrition. Am J Clin Nutr. 1977;30:947-954.
Amouzou EK, Chabi NW, Adjalla CE et al. High prevalence of hyperhomocysteinemia related to folate deficiency and mutated the 677 C — T mutation of the gene encoding methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase in coastal West Africa. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004;79:619-624