Username


Password

Forgot Password?

Preview

Sign-in free and Explore the Exciting World of BiomedExperts:
  • Over 1,800,000 Profiles
  • More than 3,500 Organizations worldwide
  • State of the Art Network Visualizations
  • Manage your own Profile
  • Locate Experts in your Country/Region
  • Locate Experts in your 1. and 2. Level Network
  • Connect to Experts Worldwide

find experts for

Sign-in to see more
2002: Hvas Anne-Mette; Lous Jørgen; Ellegaard Jørgen; Nexø Ebba
Use of plasma methylmalonic acid in diagnosing vitamin B-12 deficiency in general practice.
Scandinavian journal of primary health care 2002;20(1):57-9.
OBJECTIVES: To examine the reasons why general practitioners (GPs) request plasma methylmalonic acid (MMA) tests and how they respond to a result above the reference interval. DESIGN: Retrospective study of medical records. SETTING: Primary health care, Aarhus County, Denmark. SUBJECTS: 181 patients with increased concentrations of plasma MMA ( > 0.28 micromol/l) attending 10 GPs. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Reasons for requesting the analysis and reactions to a plasma MMA level above the reference interval. RESULTS: A reason for requesting plasma MMA was stated in 129 (71%) of the 181 medical records, screening being the most frequent. A reaction to an increased concentration of plasma MMA was recorded in 128 (71%) patients, and vitamin B-12 treatment was initiated in 102 (80%) of them. Among the 105 patients with marginally elevated plasma MMA level (0.29-0.44 micromol/l), vitamin B-12 treatment was initiated in 38 (36%). CONCLUSION: Plasma MMA was frequently used as a screening test. Treatment with vitamin B-12 was initiated when MMA level was increased, and often when plasma MMA level was slightly above the reference interval. This strategy is likely to promote over-treatment with vitamin B-12.

Post to CiteULike

Sign in free and see...

Visualized networks:
See your personal network in
sophisticated graphical views
GeoTargeted Searches:
Locate experts around the world
and connect with global collaborators
Research Profiles:
See the visualized research activity
of experts around the globe
Sign-in to see more