[Maternal vitamin B12 deficiency: cause for neurological symptoms in infancy].
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.


METHODS
We report here the neurological symptoms of 4 fully breast-fed infants from mothers on vegan diet or with pernicious anaemia.


CONCLUSIONS
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.
Lücke
T
T
Klinik für Kinder und Jugendliche, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover.
Korenke
G C
GC
Poggenburg
I
I
Bentele
K H P
KH
Das
A M
AM
Hartmann
H
H
D000293:Adolescent; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002648:Child; D014676:Diet, Vegetarian / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D009035:Mothers; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D014806:Vitamin B 12 Deficiency / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis