RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Long-term usage of acid suppression drugs like proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) or H2 receptor blockers in the elderly population has been found to result in vitamin B12 deficiency. However, the reports are equivocal. OBJECTIVE: To determine the serum vitamin B12 levels in elderly patients under chronic acid suppression therapy. METHODS: Patients aged above 60 years and on any of the PPIs or H2 blockers for at least 6 months were recruited. Out of 77 patients recruited, 60 patients were included for the final analysis. The serum vitamin B12 levels were measured using the AccuDiag™-Vitamin B12 ELISA system. RESULTS: Out of 60 patients, pantoprazole (40%) and omeprazole (37%) were the commonly prescribed acid-suppressing drugs. Nearly 50% of the patients on prolonged acid suppression therapy were either "deficient" (less than 200 pg/ml) or "insufficient" (200 to 300 pg/ml) in serum vitamin B12 levels. Neither the average serum vitamin B12 levels (p = 0.994) nor the vitamin B12 status (p = 0.226) varied significantly across the drug groups of pantoprazole, omeprazole, and ranitidine. CONCLUSIONS: Prolonged acid suppression therapy with PPIs or H2 blockers may result in serum vitamin B12 deficiency. However, there was no class (PPIs vs. H2 receptor blockers)- or drug (pantoprazole vs. omeprazole vs. ranitidine)-based differences found in the vitamin B12 deficiency caused.