Vitamin B12 deficiency in an infant with neurological and hematological findings: A case report

Key Clinical Message It is important for pregnant and breastfeeding women who adhere to a strict vegetarian diet to take appropriate steps to avoid vitamin B12 deficiency in their infants. Vitamin B12 deficiency is rare during infancy. The initial symptoms of this deficiency are subtle and may inclu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inClinical case reports Vol. 11; no. 8; pp. e7770 - n/a
Main Authors Sharma, Niraj Kumar, Bhattarai, Madhur, Baral, Kushal, Poudel, Susmita, Hassan, Nusaiba Farouk, Dhakal, Tulsi Ram, Baral, Rituraj
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.08.2023
John Wiley and Sons Inc
Wiley
Subjects
Anemia
Apathy
Babies
Biopsy
Blood
Bone marrow
Breastfeeding & lactation
Case Report
Case reports
Cell division
cobalamin
Cognition & reasoning
Cognitive ability
Dehydrogenases
Diet
early childhood
Failure to thrive
General Medicine
Hematology
Homocysteine
infant
Iron
Nervous system
neurological symptoms
Nutrition, Obesity and Exercise
Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine
Respiratory Medicine
Surgery
Toxicology
Vegetarianism
vitamin B12
Vitamin deficiency
Writing
neurological symptoms
vitamin B12
cobalamin
early childhood
infant
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Summary:Key Clinical Message It is important for pregnant and breastfeeding women who adhere to a strict vegetarian diet to take appropriate steps to avoid vitamin B12 deficiency in their infants. Vitamin B12 deficiency is rare during infancy. The initial symptoms of this deficiency are subtle and may include irritability, failure to thrive with a decline in growth rate, apathy, anorexia, refusal of solid foods, megaloblastic anemia, and developmental regression. The case presented here involves an 8‐month‐old male infant who showed neurological symptoms such as decreased activity, increased drowsiness, and reduced interaction with parents, which were ultimately linked to a deficiency of cobalamin (vitamin B12). Early recognition of this condition is critical because it is reversible. Therefore, pregnant and lactating women who follow a strict vegetarian diet should take necessary measures to prevent vitamin B12 deficiency in infants. Erythroid series show megaloblastic changes in an infant with vitamin B12 deficiency.
ISSN:2050-0904
2050-0904
DOI:10.1002/ccr3.7770