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BMJ Case Reports 2009; doi:10.1136/bcr.06.2008.0235
  • Rare disease

Neuro-regression in vitamin B12 deficiency

  1. Sanwar Agrawal,
  2. Shweta Nathani
  1. Ekta Institute of Child Health, Pediatrics, Near Ram Mandir, Shantinagar, Raipur 492001, India
  1. Sanwar Agrawal, drsanwar50{at}gmail.com
  • Published 17 March 2009

Summary

Neuroregression in infants has varied aetiology and vitamin B12 deficiency is one of the uncommon causes. Infantile vitamin B12 deficiency is encountered in malnourished infants or in offspring of strict vegan mothers. We present two cases, both infants of 10 and 8 months of age, whose mothers had vitamin B12 deficiency. On admission, the patients were apathic, hypotonic and lethargic. Serum vitamin B12 levels were below normal limits. On cranial MRI, T2-weighted images revealed frontoparietal cortical atrophy. Both the infants responded to vitamin B12 treatment.

Footnotes

  • Competing interests: none.

  • Patient consent: Patient/guardian consent was obtained for publication.

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