Journal
PEDIATRIC REPORTS
Volume 13, Issue 4, Pages 583-588Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/pediatric13040069
Keywords
vitamin B12; magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); brain atrophy
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Vitamin B12 deficiency in exclusively breastfed infants is rare but can lead to developmental delay. Treatment usually involves supplementation of Vitamin B12, with symptoms improving significantly within days. Recovery from brain atrophy after Vitamin B12 therapy is rarely documented.
Vitamin B12 (Vit-B12) deficiency is a rare and treatable cause of failure to thrive and delayed development in infants who are exclusively breastfed. Apart from genetic causes, it can be related to a malabsorption syndrome or when the mother follows a strict vegetarian or vegan diet, causing a low hepatic storage of Vit-B12 in the infant at birth. As the neurological symptoms are nonspecific, a brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exam is usually performed to rule out primary causes of neurodevelopmental delay. Findings related to brain atrophy are usually observed. A favorable response is achieved with Vit-B12 therapy, and neurological symptoms dramatically improve within a few days after the treatment. We present the case of an infant with severe Vit-B12 deficiency, exclusively breastfed by his young vegan mother, and whose clinical symptoms together with MRI findings improved after treatment. Brain atrophy recovery after Vit-B12 therapy has been seldom documented.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available