The vitamin B12 deficiency among AML patients in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia; a retrospective study

Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is one of the most prevalent types among patients in many regions and countries. Some laboratory diagnostic and biomarkers can be used to diagnose and follow up on AML cases and their exacerbation. In some cases, AML may be linked with a decrease in vitamin B12 levels (pg/mL). This study investigates the correlation between vitamin B12 deficiency and the exacerbation of diagnostic markers in AML patients. A retrospective study was conducted to collect demographic and clinical outcomes data for patients who have histologically confirmed diagnoses with AML and met specific inclusion criteria, which included assessing their vitamin B12 levels and eligibility for vitamin B12 deficiency evaluation. The data was retrieved from King Fahad Medical City (KFMC, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) covering the period from 2015 to 2023, and then data was statistically analysed using the SPSS program. From 242 reported cases diagnosed with malignant AML, the mean age is 37 ± 22.9 years, and the mean B12 level is 96.6 ± 42.7. More than half of the AML cases are females (n=128), most of them are adults (n=194), and most of them are from Saudi Arabian nationality (n=197). Regarding the type of AML reported in this study, most of the cases (n=180) were acute myeloid leukaemia, NOS, and most cases were tested against different laboratory markers for diagnosing AML, such as Jak2, CD44, CD45RA, and CD123, most of the cases were tested against Jak2 (n=135). It has been reported that CD44 is significantly correlated with iron levels (p=0.029). AML could be diagnosed and followed up using different biomarkers rather than vitamin B12, and it has been suggested that vitamin B12 levels may decrease among cases with and without AML.