Life-threatening Anemia with Hemolysis, Thrombocytopenia and Brain Atrophy due to Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Abstract

Megaloblastic anemia due to vitamin B12 deficiency is rare in infancy. It usually occurs in exclusively breast-fed infants born to vitamin B12-deficient mothers. We report a one-year-old female infant with initial diagnosis of leukemia who was found severely vitamin B12-deficient secondary to maternal deficiency. She had marked neurodevelopmental retardation, and presented with life-threatening anemia, findings of hemolysis, thrombocytopenia and cerebral atrophy on magnetic resonance imaging. [Cukurova Med J 2014; 39(4.000): 900-904]

Keywords

• Vitamin B12 deficiency hemolysis
• thrombocytopenia
• growth failure
• neuromotor retardation