 Robert Filice, M.D. - Dr. Bob's Newsletter |
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B12,
Homocysteine, and Risk of Venous Blood Clots Clots in the veins of the legs (venous thromboembolic disease or VTD) can be a serious and sometimes fatal complication for the elderly and for post surgical patients. It has already been established that elevated levels of homocysteine in the blood are a definite risk factor for VTD. A recent study in The Journal of Internal Medicine (2005:258:244-249) studied the vitamins involved in homocysteine metabolism, specifically B12 and folic acid levels, in 100 consecutive patients with VTD. They found that B12 but not folic acid levels were significantly lower in the clot patients than in the control group. This means that simple blood testing for B12 levels may identify the group at highest risk for VTD, and that this group can be treated and the incidence of this complication reduced by vitamin B12 orally as losenges, or by prescription as injections or compounded sublingual drops. Anyone with a history of VTD or increased risk factors like surgery or prolonged inactivity should be screened with vitamin B12 levels, and treated if found to be deficient. This is just another way in which vitamins are important in medicine. Related Articles on B12 CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE - Folic Acid, Statin, Vegetable, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C In this editorial which questioned the increased use of statin drugs for cardiovascular disease risk reduction, some criticisms included; trials did not compare statins with dietary management, and there had been some exaggeration on the evidence in terms of relative rather than absolute risk. Read the rest of this article |
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