Specimen Type: Serum

Specimen Required: 3-5 Cc Yellow Top Gel Vial

Day Performed: Daily

Reporting Time: 8-24 Hours   

Methodology: Beckman Coulter Access II/ Snibe Maglumi 4000

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE:

• Values of less than 160 pg/mL (118 pmol/L) are a possible sign of a vitamin B12 deficiency. People with this deficiency are likely to have or develop symptoms.
• Older adults with a vitamin B12 level less than 100 pg/mL (74 pmol/L) may also have symptoms. Deficiency should be confirmed by checking the level of a substance in the blood called methylmalonic acid. A high level indicates a true B12 deficiency.

Causes of vitamin B12 deficiency include:

• Not enough vitamin B12 in diet (rare, except with a strict vegetarian diet)
• Diseases that cause malabsorption (for example, celiac disease and Crohn disease)
• Lack of intrinsic factor, a protein that helps the intestine absorb vitamin B12
• Above normal heat production (for example, with hyperthyroidism)
• Pregnancy

Conditions that can increase B12 level include:

• Liver disease (such as cirrhosis or hepatitis)
• Myeloproliferative disorders (for example, polycythemia vera and chronic myelogenous leukemia)