title: [Maternal vitamin B12 deficiency: cause for neurological symptoms in infancy].
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.
  
  
  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.
authors.affiliation: Klinik für Kinder und Jugendliche, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lücke
authors.forename: G C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Korenke
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Poggenburg
authors.forename: K H P
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Bentele
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Das
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hartmann
mesh_terms: 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