High vitamin B12 level and mortality in elderly inpatients.

摘要

Dear Editor,Cobalamin levels are frequently requested in geriatric practice. The focus is usually on detecting B12 deficiency, as shown by an extensive literature (1-4). In contrast, little is known about the meaning of high cobalamin levels (5). Previous data indicate that an elevated serum vitamin B12 level is a predictive factor for mortality in elderly patients with cancer (6). It therefore seems that elevated levels of serum cobalamin may be a sign of a serious, even life-limiting, illness.