Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How blood vitamin B12 and acid levels relate in cats
By Worhunsky, P et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2013·College of Veterinary Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: The relationship of serum cobalamin to methylmalonic acid concentrations and clinical variables in cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 163 cats was studied to understand vitamin B12 (cobalamin) deficiency, which can lead to serious health issues. The researchers found that a specific level of methylmalonic acid (MMA) in the blood could more accurately indicate a deficiency than cobalamin levels alone. In fact, 42% of the cats had a cobalamin deficiency when using MMA as the measure. The study suggests that while cobalamin levels can help identify deficiencies, they shouldn't be the only test relied upon, as some cats showed normal cobalamin levels despite having high MMA.
People also search for: cat vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms · cat anemia treatment · why is my cat losing weight
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Serum cobalamin concentration [CBL] suggests CBL deficiency in cats but serum methylmalonic acid concentration [MMA] more accurately indicates CBL deficiency. OBJECTIVE: To examine the ability of [CBL] to predict CBL deficiency defined by increased [MMA], and relationships of [CBL] and [MMA] with select clinical and clinicopathological variables. ANIMALS: One hundred sixty-three client-owned cats with [CBL] measurements, 114 cats with simultaneous [MMA] measurements; 88 cats with medical information. METHODS: Prospectively collected [CBL] and [MMA] were compared using scatter plots, receiver operating characteristic and correlative analyses with historical [CBL] thresholds and those identified in the study. [CBL] and [MMA] were compared retrospectively to specific clinical and clinicopathological variables. RESULTS: [CBL] correlated negatively with [MMA] (τ = -0.334, P < .0001). [MMA] ≥ 1,343 nmol/L identified CBL deficiency. [CBL] = 209 pg/mL optimized sensitivity (0.51), specificity (0.96), PPV (0.89), and NPV (0.74) for detecting [MMA] ≥ 1,343 nmol/L. Prevalence of CBL deficiency was 42% (48/114) when defined by [MMA] ≥ 1,343 nmol/L versus 23% (27/114) by [CBL] ≤ 209 pg/mL. Unexpectedly, 23 and 45% of 48 cats with [MMA] ≥ 1,343 nmol/L had [CBL] > 900 pg/mL and 290 pg/mL (historical thresholds). [CBL] correlated with mean corpuscular volume (τ = -0.199, P = .013) and [MMA] with hematocrit (τ = -0.28, P = .006). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Cobalamin deficiency ([MMA] ≥ 1,343 nmol/L) occurred in 42% of cats and is predicted with high specificity by [CBL] ≤ 209 pg/mL. CBL status correlates with microcytosis and anemia. Discordance between [CBL] and [MMA] cautions against relying on any single marker for determining CBL status.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23875847/