Objective: Homozygous beta thalassemia patients are known to have folic acid deficiency. Undertransfused patients with beta-thalassemia major may need more folic acid as they continue to have ineffective erytropoesis. In contrast, vitamin B12 deficiency is rare in patients with beta-thalassemia major. In thalassemic patients, microcytosis may mask the hematological finding of macrocytosis seen in folic acid and Vitamin B12 deficiecy. In this study, we investigated the levels of vitamin B12 and folic acid in patients with beta thalassemia major.

Method: Plasma vitamin B12 and folic acid levels were determined in 92 thalassemia major patients. None had received folic acid and/or vitamin B12 supplementation in the last year.

Results: We found that 13%, 9.8%, and 2.2% of thalassemic patients have in vitamin B12, folic acid, and both vitamin B12 and folic acid deficiency, respectively.

Conclusion: Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) is not a good marker of folic acid ve vitamin B12 deficiency in talasemia major patients. We recommend that vitamin B12 and folic acid levels of thalassemia major patients should be measured periodically

Keywords: Vitamin B12, Folic acid, Beta-thalassemia major