Mehmet Hamdi Örüm1, Mahmut Zabit Kara2, Oğuzhan Bekir Eğilmez1

1Department of Psychiatry, Adıyaman University Faculty of Medicine, Adıyaman, Turkey
2Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Adıyaman University Training and Research Hospital, Adıyaman, Turkey

Keywords: Ferritin; folic acid; inpatients; psychiatry; retrospective study; vitamin B12

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims to compare the vitamin B12, folate, and ferritin levels of inpatients in a psychiatry clinic.

Materials and methods: The study included 286 inpatients (178 males, 108 females; mean age 35.4±12.9 years; range, 15 to 76 years) treated in Adiyaman University Training and Research Hospital psychiatry clinic between 01 January 2017 and 31 December 2017. Patients’ diagnoses and vitamin B12, folate, and ferritin levels were examined retrospectively.

Results: The most common diagnoses were schizophrenia (23.4%), bipolar affective disorder (23.1%), and major depressive disorder (11.5%). While there was no significant difference in vitamin B12 levels according to sex (p=0.850), folate level was significantly lower in males (p=0.001) and ferritin level was significantly lower in females (p=0.001). No difference was detected in the levels of vitamin B12, folate and ferritin in the comparison between diagnoses.

Conclusion: Deficiency in vitamin B12, folate, and ferritin levels may cause psychiatric symptoms. Due to the high number of patients with low vitamin B12 levels in our study, more attention may be paid to vitamin B12 replacement. Ferritin deficiency in females and folate deficiency in males are noteworthy. Further research are needed to identify more specific and detailed algorithms related to vitamin B12, folate, and ferritin to support the findings of this study and optimize the care given to patients suffering from psychiatric syndromes.