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LETTER
Nutritional infantile vitamin B12 deficiency: pathobiochemical considerations in seven patients
  1. B Roschitz1,
  2. B Plecko1,
  3. M Huemer2,
  4. A Biebl2,
  5. H Foerster3,
  6. W Sperl3
  1. 1University Hospital Graz, Department of Pediatrics, Graz, Austria
  2. 2Landeskrankenhaus Feldkirch, Department of Pediatrics, Feldkirch, Austria
  3. 3Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
  1. Correspondence to:
    Professor Plecko
    Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 30, 8036 Graz, Austria; barbara.pleckomeduni-graz.at

https://doi.org/10.1136/adc.2004.061929

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    In infants with nutritional vitamin B12 deficiency, early clinical symptoms follow a consistent pattern with irritability, failure to thrive, apathy and anorexia, accompanied by consistent refusal of solid foods and developmental regression. Vitamin B12 acts as a cofactor in the remethylation of homocysteine and the degradation of methylmalonyl-CoA. The biochemical mechanisms by which vitamin B12 deficiency leads to neurological damage are poorly understood. We report on seven breast fed infants with nutritional vitamin B12 deficiency due to maternal vegan diet. Tables …

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    Footnotes

    • Competing interests: none declared