TY - JOUR PY - 2022// TI - Vitamin B12, homocysteine and folic acid in patients suffering from bipolar disorders: relationship with suicide JO - World journal of biological psychiatry A1 - Mangiapane, Paola A1 - Carbone, Manuel Glauco A1 - Arone, Alessandro A1 - Massa, Lucia A1 - Palermo, Stefania A1 - Flamini, Walter A1 - Parra, Elisabetta A1 - Morana, Benedetto A1 - Morana, Florinda A1 - Bertini, Giovanni A1 - Marazziti, Donatella SP - ePub EP - ePub VL - ePub IS - ePub N2 - OBJECTIVES: Vitamin B12, folic acid and homocysteine play a key role in "one-carbon metabolism", involved in different brain processes. Altered levels have been reported in mood disorders (MDs), particularly in major depression (MDD), while the information in bipolar disorders (BDs) is limited. The present study aimed at assessing vitamin B12, homocysteine and folic acid in 69 bipolar inpatients.

METHODS: Twenty-seven patients were diagnosed as BDI, 15 BDII, 16 schizoaffective disorders, and 11 MDD, according to DSM-5 criteria. The clinical picture was assessed by the MINI, HRSD, YMRS and CGI. The blood parameters were measured according to common clinical-chemical methods.

RESULTS: Thirty-four patients had significantly lower vitamin B12, and 14 higher homocysteine levels than normative values. Folic acid levels were normal in the majority of the sample. Patients with a family history of suicide showed significantly lower levels of vitamin B12.

CONCLUSIONS: Our results underline the utility of assessing vitamin B12, homocysteine and folic acid in patients with BD. Although other studies are necessary, the present findings that lower levels of vitamin B12 seem typical of patients with a family history of suicide independently from the phase of illness, suggests that they might constitute a possible predictor of suicide.

Language: en

LA - en SN - 1562-2975 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15622975.2022.2134589 ID - ref1 ER -