ASSESSMENT OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VITAMIN B12 DEFICIENCY AND CARDIOVASCULAR RISK USING THE SCORE

Introduction: SCORE (Systematic COronary Risk Evaluation) is a cardiovascular risk assessment tool used to estimate the 10-year risk of cardiovascular mortality. This study aims to investigate the relationship between serum vitamin B12 levels and cardiovascular risk as determined by the SCORE Türkiye scale. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted among individuals aged 40-65 who presented to Karaman Family Medicine Unit No. 56 between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2025. Cardiovascular risk scores were calculated using SCORE scale based on age, sex, smoking status, blood pressure, serum vitamin B12 levels, and total cholesterol levels. Results: Among the participants, 16.9% exhibited vitamin B12 deficiency, and 45.4% had insufficient levels. No statistically significant differences were observed between the participants with vitamin B12 deficiency and those with insufficiency in terms of sex, blood pressure, total cholesterol, or smoking status. Risk scores were significantly higher in the male participants. Vitamin B12 deficiency or insufficiency was identified in 66.7% of the high/very high-risk group and 62.4% of the moderate-risk group. However, these differences were not statistically significant. Conclusion: Although statistical significance was not achieved, high rates of vitamin B12 deficiency and insufficiency were observed across all risk groups. These results suggested that vitamin B12 deficiency may negatively affect endothelial function via homocysteine pathways and could be considered a relevant parameter in cardiovascular risk assessments, pending further evidence.