Cyanocobalamin May be Beneficial in the Treatment of Recurrent Aphthous Ulcers Even When Vitamin B12 Levels Are Normal
Section snippets
Materials and Methods
Patients (n = 72; 46 females, 26 males) with RAUs admitted to Dumlupinar University Hospital, Department of Internal Medicine and Dentistry between January 2006 and June 2006 were recruited. All patients provided informed consent and necessary ethical approval was obtained.
After performing physical examination, serum cobalamin levels, hemoglobin, white blood cell, mean corpuscular volume, iron, total iron binding capacity, ferritin, folic acid, rheumatoid factor, and C-reactive protein levels were
Results
Thirty-seven patients (51.3%, 19 females, 18 males) with serum cobalamin levels lower than 140 pg/mL were in the CDG whereas 35 (48.6%, 27 females, 8 males) were in CNG with cobalamin levels higher than 140 pg/mL.
There was no statistically significant difference in levels of hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, white blood cell, iron, total iron binding capacity, ferritin, folic acid, and in smoking between 2 groups (P > 0.05) (Table 1). However significant differences in ages and platelet levels
Discussion
The correlation between recurrent aphthous stomatitis and cobalamin deficiency has been the subject of several recent studies.9., 10., 11., 12., 13., 14., 15. In some reports, it is stated that cobalamin deficiency might have an important role in the etiology of RAU.11., 12., 13., 14. Some others suggested that cobalamin levels might also be important in case of detecting the hemanitic disorders in patients with RAU.9., 10., 15. These studies suggest that there maybe a correlation between serum
Conclusion
Our study showed that cyanocobalamin treatment maybe beneficial for patients with RAU even when serum cobalamin levels are normal. We state that for mucosal protection, preventing recurrences and treatment of lesions, higher serum cobalamin levels (>500 pg/mL) should be achieved in patients with RAU. Clinicians and patients alike should keep in mind that cyanocobalamin treatment as an alternative therapy may have potential benefits.
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