Catatonia and vitamin B12 deficiency – A hidden cause? A review article
N.A. Alhujaili Department of Medicine, Division of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine in Rabigh, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. nalhujaili@kau.edu.sa
This paper aims to broadly overview catatonia and vitamin B12 deficiency and highlight this association as a possible hidden cause.
A review of published articles which examined the association between vitamin B12 deficiency and catatonia was performed. The articles for this review were selected by searching the electronic databases of the MEDLINE from March 2022 until August 2022 using catatonia (and related terms such as psychosis; psychomotor) and vitamin B12 (and related terms such as vitamin B12 deficiency; neuropsychiatry) as keywords. Articles had to be written in English to be included in this review.
The direct relationship between levels of B12 and catatonic symptoms is difficult to confirm, as catatonia has different etiologies and can be triggered under the influence of multifactorial stressors. In this review, few published reports showed the reversibility of the catatonic symptoms once the level of B12 levels increased to more than 200 pg/ml. This could explain the responsibility of deficiency of B12 in the catatonic presentation of the few published case reports.
B12-level screening in cases of catatonia of unclear etiology needs to be considered, particularly in a group at risk of B12 deficiency. Of particular concern is that vitamin B12 can be close to the normal range, which may delay the diagnosis. Detection and treatment of catatonic illness usually result in a rapid resolution of the condition, which, if untreated, can lead to potentially fatal outcomes.
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To cite this article
N.A. Alhujaili
Catatonia and vitamin B12 deficiency – A hidden cause? A review article
Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci
Year: 2023
Vol. 27 - N. 8
Pages: 3294-3299
DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_202304_32100