Review article
https://doi.org/0.26800/LV-146-supl1-25
When do you think that the cause of the problem is vitamin B12 deficiency?
Nora Pušeljić
Silvija Pušeljić
Ema Poznić
Luka Perić
Nika Pušeljić
Višnja Tomac
Abstract
Vitamin B12 is found primarily in animal products including dairy products, eggs, meat and fish. Vegans and some vegetarians have a limited intake of B12. Prenatally low vitamin B12 or low intake during pregnancy leads to low fetal B12 stores and low levels in breast milk. Vitamin B12 is crucial for the growth and development of the child, and especially for neurodevelopment. Clinical signs of vitamin B12 deficiency in infants usually appear in the first few months of life in the form of developmental regression, irritability, feeding difficulties, hypotonia and failure to gain weight. Although symptoms in infants may begin early, the diagnosis of vitamin B12 deficiency is often delayed. Early diagnosis and intervention in vitamin B12 deficiency are crucial in preventing possible irreversible neurological damage, megaloblastic anemia and developmental delay. Total B12 concentration in plasma or serum is commonly used to
measure B12 levels because it is easily and inexpensively measured in most laboratories. There is no single universally accepted threshold value for B12 deficiency. According to various studies, the lower limit values range from 138 to 260 pmol/l for the first two years of life. Deficiency can occasionally be seen in people with B12 concentrations within the normal range, and such cases can be explained by the physiologically inactive and variable proportion of B12 bound to the protein carrier haptocorin. In perspective, it would be necessary to define new age-dependent B12 cutoff values if plasma B12 is used as a primary screening test to improve the diagnosis of B12 deficienc.
Keywords
VITAMIN B12; DEFICIENCY; INFANTS
Hrčak ID:
315847
URI
Publication date:
11.4.2024.
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