Abstract
Vitamin B12 deficiency is an uncommon disorder in a prosperous western country. In two children a nutritional vitamin B12 deficiency was observed. The first was a 2-year-old girl with neurodevelopmental regression and macrocytic anaemia, a result of a combination of a maternal vitamin B12 deficiency and inadequate feeding after birth. The second patient was a 14-year-old adipose girl with severe polyneuropathy and mild macrocytic anaemia as a result of a nutritional vitamin B12 deficiency. In her case the deficiency resulted from a bizarre feeding pattern. She turned out to be the victim of child abuse. It is concluded that even in a prosperous western country like the Netherlands vitamin B12 deficiency in children can develop as a result of an inadequate feeding pattern. It can lead not only to macrocytic anaemia but also to severe neurological abnormalities.
| Translated title of the contribution | Vitamin B12 deficiency due to abnormal eating habits |
|---|---|
| Original language | Dutch |
| Pages (from-to) | 474-6 |
| Number of pages | 3 |
| Journal | Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde |
| Volume | 138 |
| Issue number | 9 |
| Publication status | Published - 26 Feb 1994 |
Keywords
- Adolescent
- Child Abuse
- Child, Preschool
- Diagnosis, Differential
- Diet
- Female
- Food Habits
- Humans
- Polyneuropathies
- Polyradiculoneuropathy
- Vitamin B 12
- Vitamin B 12 Deficiency