This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Reply to article  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Citing articles on Web of Science (15)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Donald E. Goodkin, MD; Donald W. Jacobsen, PhD; Nestor Galvez, MD; Michele Daughtry; Michelle Secic, MS; Ralph Green, MD

Arch Neurol. 1994;51(11):1110-1114.

Abstract
Objectives
To determine the frequency of serum cobalamin (Cbl) deficiency and to clarify the biologic importance of low screening Cbl levels in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and idiopathic myelopathy (MYL).

Background
A significant association between Cbl metabolism and MS has been postulated based on the observations that patients with MS have lower serum Cbl levels, higher unsaturated Cbl binding capacities, and a higher prevalence of macrocytosis than do normal controls. Whether such observations have biologic importance as documented by abnormal accumulation of metabolites that would result from Cbl deficiency has not yet been determined.

Methods
Serum Cbl and folate levels were determined in 208 consecutively evaluated patients seen in an outpatient MS clinic setting during a 7-month period. Necessary blood samples were obtained for 165 of these patients. One hundred twenty-five patients had clinically definite MS, 31 had clinically probable MS, and nine had MYL. Serum methylmalonic acid (MMA) and homocysteine (HCY) concentrations, which rise in biologically severe Cbl deficiency, were subsequently determined in all patients whose Cbl levels were lower than 301 pg/mL.

Results
A Cbl level lower than 301 was found in 32 of 156 patients with either clinically definite MS or clinically probable MS but in none of the patients with MYL. Elevated MMA or HCY levels were found in seven of 32 patients with either clinically definite MS or clinically probable MS, six of whom had an elevated HCY level and one of whom had elevated HCY and MMA levels.

Conclusions
Despite the observation that 32 (19.4%) of 165 of these patients with MS and MYL had screening Cbl levels less than 301 pg/mL, only seven (4.2%) of 165 had elevated MMA or HCY levels. The frequency of biologically severe Cbl deficiency in these patients with MS and MYL was very low.

Author Affiliations
From the Departments of Neurology (Drs Goodkin and Galvez and Ms Daughtry), Cell Biology (Dr Jacobsen), Biostatistics and Epidemiology (Ms Secic), and Clinical Pathology (Dr Green), The Cleveland (Ohio) Clinic Foundation. Dr Goodkin is now with the Department of Neurology at the University of California—San Francisco.

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Plasma homocysteine levels in multiple sclerosis
Ramsaransing et al.
J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry 2006;77:189-192.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Multiple sclerosis and nutrition
Schwarz and Leweling
Mult Scler 2005;11:24-32.
ABSTRACT  

Increased plasma homocysteine levels without signs of vitamin B12 deficiency in patients with multiple sclerosis assessed by blood and cerebrospinal fluid homocysteine and methylmalonic acid
Vrethem et al.
Mult Scler 2003;9:239-245.
ABSTRACT  

Thiopurine methyltransferase activity in a Spanish population sample: decrease of enzymatic activity in multiple sclerosis patients
Menor et al.
Mult Scler 2002;8:243-248.
ABSTRACT