Investigation of Vitamin B12 Deficiency in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome and its Relationship with Gensini Score

Background: Vitamin B12 deficiency is not an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. However, anemia due to vitamin B12 deficiency and also hyperhomocysteinemia are among the cardiovascular risk factors. The study aimed to determine the frequency of vitamin B12 deficiency in patients with acute coronary syndrome. We also aimed to ascertain whether there is a significant difference between obstructive coronary artery disease presence and its severity in patients with and without vitamin B12 deficiency using the Gensini score. Methods: Patients who underwent coronary angiography due to acute coronary syndrome between June 1, 2018, and November 30, 2019, and whose vitamin B12 levels were measured were retrospectively analyzed. Coronary angiography results of the patients were evaluated with the Gensini scoring system. Results: Anemia was observed in 32.6% (n = 135) of the patients who underwent coronary angiography with a diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome, and vitamin B12 deficiency was observed in 14.7% (n = 61). The median age was 69 years in anemic patients and 68 years in those with Vitamin B12 deficiency and was significantly higher than patients without anemia and vitamin B12 deficiency (p < 0.001 and p = 0.038, respectively). There was no statistically significant differences between the patients' Gensini scores with or without Vitamin B12 deficiency (p = 0.554). Conclusions: We concluded that anemia and vitamin B12 deficiency were higher in elderly patients with acute coronary syndrome. We found no significant difference when the Gensini score was used to evaluate obstructive coronary artery disease presence and its severity according to anemia and vitamin B12 deficiency. Investigating vitamin B12 levels in elderly patients with acute coronary syndrome should not be ignored.