Çocuklarda B12 Vitamini Eksikliği Ve İlişkili Bulguların Sıklığı

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine clinical findings associated with vitamin B12 deficiency in patients presenting to the pediatric neurology department with various different symptoms and to discuss these in the light of the current literature. Materials and Methods: Children aged between one month and 18 years presenting to the Balikesir University Medical Faculty pediatric neurology clinic, Turkey, between 01.08.2019-01.08.2021 and with vitamin B12 levels lower than 250 ng/mL were included in this retrospective, cross-sectional study. Results: One hundred sixty-one cases were included in the study 63 (39.1%) female and 98 (60.9%) male. The patients’ mean age was 7.43±5.77 (0-17) years. The majority of patients of both genders were in the 0-6 age group. Neurological findings were present in 81.98% of patients with Vitamin B12 deficiency, and non-neurological findings in 18.01%. The most frequent neurological finding was neuromotor retardation (N=73, 45.34%), followed by seizures (N=33, 20.50%).The most frequent reason for presentation was neuromotor retardation in both boys and girls with vitamin B12 deficiency (N=55, 56.1% and N=18, 28.57%). The mean Vitamin B12 level among all the patients was 167.70±45.17 (58-250) pg/ml. No statistically significant difference was determined between boys and girls in terms of Vitamin B12 and ferritin levels or complete blood count parameters [Hb, Htc, and MCV] (respectively p = 0,428, p = 0,646, p = 0,110, p = 0,128, p = 0,864). Conclusions: This study provides a general evaluation for health professionals regarding clinical presentations encountered by us in association with the disease