Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences
DOI
-
Abstract
Aim: Deficiency of cobalamin and folate during pregnancy is associated with megaloblastic anemia. Lower levels of folate and vitamin B12 were reported in mothers whose offspring had neural tube defects compared to unaffected controls. Increased methylmalonic acid (MMA) levels are a sensitive indicator of mild vitamin B12 deficiency and elevated homocysteine levels denote vitamin B12 or folate deficiency. We aimed to evaluate cobalamin state in pregnancy by using urine MMA levels determined by an economic spectrophotometric method. Materials and Methods: For this cross-sectional study, plasma total homocysteine (tHcy), serum folate and vitamin B12, and urine MMA levels were measured in 186 uncomplicated pregnant women (30 in first, 58 in second and 98 in third trimester). MMA measurements were made in first morning urine samples with normalizing by creatinine concentrations. Results: The tHcy concentrations were not elevated (
Keywords
Cobalamin deficiency, pregnancy, urine MMA
First Page
139
Last Page
143
Recommended Citation
İPÇİOĞLU, OSMAN METİN; GÜLTEPE, MUSTAFA; and ÖZCAN, ÖMER (2007) "Cobalamin Deficiency During Pregnancy Expressed as Elevated Urine Methylmalonic Acid Levels Determined by a Photometric Assay," Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences: Vol. 37: No. 3, Article 5. Available at: https://journals.tubitak.gov.tr/medical/vol37/iss3/5
