Evaluation of serum vitamin B12 and folate levels in term and preterm newborns and their mothers

Aim: Vitamin B12 and folate are two important vitamins in homocysteine metabolism. In the absence of both, the amount of total homocysteine increases and pregnancy complications develop. There are studies showing that fetal growth is affected and the risk of premature birth and low birth weight birth is increased. The aim of this study is to measure the serum vitamin B12 and folate levels of the cord blood of newborn babies and their mothers, and to investigate whether there is a relationship between vitamin B12 and folate levels and gestation period and anthropometric measurements. Material and Method: 204 newborn babies born between April 2018 and December 2018 in Çukurova University Medical Faculty Hospital and their mothers were included in this study. A questionnaire questioning nutrition, disease and medication intake was administered to the mothers using face-to-face interview technique after obtaining their informed written consent. Serum folate and serum total vitamin B12 levels were drawn from arterial cord blood samples of newborns immediately after birth and from their mothers' peripheral blood samples. A vitamin B12 level of <200 pg/mL was considered as vitamin B12 deficiency and a folate level of <3 ng/mL as folate deficiency. Results: 204 babies of 196 mothers were included in the study. The mean gestational age of the babies was 37.2 ± 2.6 (22.3-41.2) weeks, and their mean birth weight was 3044.8 ± 770 (505-4525) g 58 (28.4 %) of the babies were preterm. Maternal mean vitamin B12 and folate levels were 107.3 ± 67.0 pg/mL and 13.2 ± 6.7 ng/mL; mean vitamin B12 and folate levels of babies were 191.5 ± 150 pg/mL and 20.8 ± 3.7 ng/mL (p=0.001 for both). Vitamin B12 deficiency was detected in 96.8 % of the mothers (184/190 mothers) and in 64.5 % of the babies (120/186 babies). While folate deficiency was observed in only 3.1 % (6/188) of the mothers, no deficiency was observed in any of the babies. Both vitamin B12 levels and folate levels were found to be lower in babies of mothers with vitamin B12 deficiency (p=0.002, p=0.027). There was no statistically significant correlation between the mother's serum vitamin B12 and folate levels and the birthweight, height and head circumference of the babies. Conclusion: In our study, we found that vitamin B12 deficiency is quite common in mothers and babies. We did not find a correlation with birthweight, height and head circumference. Pregnant women should receive oral vitamin B12 support, if not, intramuscular treatment and routine vitamin B12 support for the baby may be offered by further studies. Keywords: Vitamin B12, folate, newborn, mother, gestational age, anthropometric measurements