Update on oral cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12) treatment in elderly patients

Emmanuel Andrès*, Thomas Vogel, Laure Federici, Jacques Zimmer, Georges Kaltenbach

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

    20 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    The objective of this review is to evaluate the usefulness of oral cobalamin (vitamin B12) treatment in elderly patients. PubMed was systematically searched for English and French articles published from January 1990 to January 2007. Prospective randomized studies (n = 3), a systematic review by the Cochrane group (n = 1) and prospective studies in a well defined population (n = 5) provide evidence that oral cobalamin therapy may adequately treat cobalamin deficiency in elderly patients. However, the current literature does not suggest a strategy in terms of the form (hydroxy- or cyanocobalamin), frequency and duration of the treatment. This review confirms the previously reported efficacy of oral cobalamin treatment in elderly patients. Oral cobalamin treatment avoids the discomfort, inconvenience and cost of monthly injections.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)927-932
    Number of pages6
    JournalDrugs and Aging
    Volume25
    Issue number11
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2008

    Keywords

    • Cyanocobalamin, therapeutic use
    • Elderly

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