Abstract
The intestinal absorption of vitamin B12 was studied with the subjects hospitalized for the health examination in reference to the various gastric diseases, age and the presence of arteriosclerosis.
All the cases, 62 subjects, from 29 to 70 years old, were preliminarily investigated with X-ray examination of stomach, lung and heart, gastrocamera, gastric juice, blood picture, serum iron, cholesterol-level, liver function tests, ECG, Ballistocardiogram, PSP, urine and stool analysis.
The absorption tests of VB12 was carried out by Schilling's method. One capsule of the radioactive 57Co-VB12 (S.A. 1100 μc/mg, 0.48 g/capsule) was orally administered.
In 14 cases of healthy subjects, the urinary excretion rate was 10.7-35.1% (mean 23.0±8.2%) .
In 21 cases of atrophic gastritis, 10.7-42.8% (mean 22.3±7.1%), in 6 cases of gastric ulcer 18.5-24.8% (mean 23.0%), in 3 cases of gastric cancer 19.0-33.6% (mean 25.6%) .
Thus, almost no differences in the urinary excretion rate between the healthy and gastric diseases were found. Furthermore, no relation to gastric acidity was found.
The urinary excretion rate was further examined in reference to the age in all the subjects without gastric ulcer or cancer.
Under the age of 39 years (11 cases) 18.8-35.1% (mean 26.0±6.0%) ; from 40 to 49 years old (12 cases) 13.5-42.8% (mean 24.5±8.3%) ; from 50 to 59 years old (17 cases) 10.7-46.3% (mean 23. 7±9.5%) ; above 60 years old (13 cases) 12.4-31.8% (mean 20.0±6.5%) .
The urinary excretion rate gradually decreases with the ages, especially that of older than 60 years is significantly lower than that of younger than 39 years (p=0.1) .
Our results suggest that the urinary excretion rate of the arteriosclerotic may be lower than that of the non-arteriosclerotic.
