| Title | [Maternal vitamin B12 deficiency: cause for neurological symptoms in infancy.] | | Author(s) | Lücke T, Korenke GC, Poggenburg I, Bentele KH, Das AM, Hartmann H | | Institution | Klinik für Kinder und Jugendliche, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover. | | Source | Z Geburtshilfe Neonatol 2007 Aug; 211(4):157-61. | | Abstract | BACKGROUND: Symptoms of Vitamin B (12) deficiency in infancy include growth retardation, regression of psychomotor development, muscular hypotonia and brain atrophy. Besides an inappropriate vegetarian diet of the infants, a vegan diet or a pernicious anaemia of the mother may lead to an insufficient vitamin B (12) supply of the child.
PATIENTS AND METHODS: We report here the neurological symptoms of 4 fully breast-fed infants from mothers on vegan diet or with pernicious anaemia.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Vitamin B (12) deficiency can easily be diagnosed by detection of methylmalonic acid when measuring the organic acids in urine. Vitamin B (12) deficiency should be avoided or diagnosed as early as possible since a supplementation of mother and child can prevent neurological symptoms of the baby. Furthermore, the neurological symptoms of the infant with manifest vitamin B (12) deficiency are (partially) reversible. | | Language | ger | | Pub Type(s) | English Abstract
Journal Article
| | PubMed ID | 17729202 |
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