Vitamin B-12 status during pregnancy and infancy : screening tools and assessment of populations at risk for deficiency

Low perinatal and infantile vitamin B-12 (B-12) status have been associated with health complications. South Asians and residents of low- and middle-income countries may be at increased risk for low B-12 status. The overall goal was to facilitate and screen for perinatal, neonatal, and infantile B-12 status. First, a reliable (recovery: 93–98%; CV: 29.3 pmol/8-mm punch was computed per clinical guidelines (CLSI EP18-A3c). Further, B-12 status of South Asian and European pregnant women and their newborns living in Vancouver were compared. B-12 status was assessed in 748 healthy Vancouver women (50% South Asian, 50% European) during their 1st and 2nd trimester of pregnancy using multiple B-12 biomarkers, and in their newborns using DBS MMA concentration. South Asian pregnant women had a significantly lower B-12 status than European women, e.g. comparing 1st trimester mean (95% CI) serum total B-12 concentrations [189 (180; 199) pmol/L versus 246 (236; 257) pmol/L; P<0.0001]. This difference in B-12 status was not reflected in the DBS MMA concentrations of their newborns. Last, the prevalence of B-12 deficiency in mothers and their infants living in rural Indonesia was determined. The prevalence of infants (n=221) living in rural Indonesia with serum total B-12 concentrations