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What are the psychiatric manifestations of vitamin B12 deficiency?
Hector M, Burton JR.. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 1988-12-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Psychiatric symptoms attributable to vitamin B12 deficiency have been described for decades. The earlier reports are for the most part in accord with more recent ones, despite being diagnostically less specific in psychiatric and hematologic terms. These symptoms seem to fall into several clinically separate categories: slow cerebration; confusion; memory changes; delirium, with or without hallucinations and/or delusions; depression; acute psychotic states; and (more rarely) reversible manic and schizophreniform states. While there still remain abundant hematologic, psychiatric, neurologic, or nutritional reasons for obtaining a serum vitamin B12 level, its use in the investigation of the etiology of a patient's dementia seems unjustified. However, acute or subacute changes in a demented patient's mental status, specifically a clouding of their consciousness, may make such testing advisable as part of the complete workup of their delirium regardless of a normal hematologic picture.
Key findings
- Psychiatric symptoms attributable to vitamin B12 deficiency have been described for decades.
- The earlier reports are for the most part in accord with more recent ones, despite being diagnostically less specific in psychiatric and hematologic terms.
- These symptoms seem to fall into several clinically separate categories: slow cerebration; confusion; memory changes; delirium, with or without hallucinations and/or delusions; depression; acute psychotic states; and (more rarely) reversible manic and schizophreniform states.
- While there still remain abundant hematologic, psychiatric, neurologic, or nutritional reasons for obtaining a serum vitamin B12 level, its use in the investigation of the etiology of a patient's dementia seems unjustified.
- However, acute or subacute changes in a demented patient's mental status, specifically a clouding of their consciousness, may make such testing advisable as part of the complete workup of their delirium regardless of a normal hematologic picture.
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 36/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record and multi-centre collaboration, so those were left out: it earned 21 of the 58 points we could judge it on, which is 36 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Journal of the American Geriatrics Society) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 1988 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 3057051) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 21 / 58 | Scored on 11 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 21 of the 58 points we could judge it on is 36 out of 100. |
| Total | 36 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Hector, M., & Burton, JR. (1988). What are the psychiatric manifestations of vitamin B12 deficiency? Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.1988.tb04397.x
Vancouver
Hector M, Burton JR. What are the psychiatric manifestations of vitamin B12 deficiency? Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 1988. doi:10.1111/j.1532-5415.1988.tb04397.x. PMID: 3057051.
BibTeX
@article{hector1988-3057051,
author = {Hector, M. and Burton, JR.},
title = {{What are the psychiatric manifestations of vitamin B12 deficiency?}},
journal = {Journal of the American Geriatrics Society},
year = {1988},
doi = {10.1111/j.1532-5415.1988.tb04397.x},
pmid = {3057051},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.1988.tb04397.x}
}
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