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Biochemical, nutritional, and clinical parameters of vitamin B12 deficiency in infants

  • Pooled data from published reports on infants with clinically diagnosed vitamin B12 (B12) deficiency were analyzed with the purpose of describing the presentation, diagnostic approaches, and risk factors for the condition to inform prevention strategies. An electronic (PubMed database) and manual literature search following the PRISMA approach was conducted (preregistration with the Open Science Framework, accessed on 15 February 2023). Data were described and analyzed using correlation analyses, Chi-square tests, ANOVAs, and regression analyses, and 102 publications (292 cases) were analyzed. The mean age at first symptoms (anemia, various neurological symptoms) was four months; the mean time to diagnosis was 2.6 months. Maternal B12 at diagnosis, exclusive breastfeeding, and a maternal diet low in B12 predicted infant B12, methylmalonic acid, and total homocysteine. Infant B12 deficiency is still not easily diagnosed. Methylmalonic acid and total homocysteine are useful diagnostic parameters in addition to B12 levels. Since maternal B12 status predicts infant B12 status, it would probably be advantageous to target women in early pregnancy or even preconceptionally to prevent infant B12 deficiency, rather than to rely on newborn screening that often does not reliably identify high-risk children.

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Metadaten
Author:Miriam Wirthensohn, Susanne Wehrli, Ulf Wike Ljungblad, Martina HuemerORCiD
DOI:https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15234960
ISSN:2072-6643
Parent Title (English):Nutrients
Subtitle (English):A systematic review and analysis of 292 cases published between 1962 and 2022
Document Type:Article
Language:English
Year of publication:2023
Release Date:2024/01/23
Tag:Homocysteine; breastfeeding; methylmalonic acid (MMA); newborn screening
Volume:15
Article Number:4960
Number of pages:21
Organisationseinheit:Soziales & Gesundheit
DDC classes:600 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften
JEL-Classification:I Health, Education, and Welfare
Open Access?:ja
Peer review:wiss. Beitrag, peer-reviewed
Huemer, Martina
Licence (German):License LogoCreative Commons - CC BY - International - Attribution- Namensnennung 4.0