Objective: To determine the prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency in patients with type 2 diabetes taking metformin attending a tertiary care facility.
Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Diabetic OPD, Civil Hospital, Karachi, from January 2012 to July 2012. Patients of 35 to 60 years of age with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (DM) and compliant with metformin (≥500 mg/day) for more than 3 years were included. Patients with partial or total gastrectomy, pernicious anemia, Crohns disease, on supplemental vitamin B12, and strict vegetarians were excluded. Brief history regarding the duration of DM, duration of metformin use, daily dose of metformin, mean blood sugar levels and monthly family income was taken. One blood sample from each patient was obtained to determine vitamin B12 level. Vitamin B12 deficiency was defined as serum level 50 years of age, 16 (30.1%) were 40-50 years of age and 6 (11.30%) were
Key words: Biguanides, diabetes mellitus, vitamin B12, metformin, megaloblastic anemia.
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