CASE REPORT
A Rare Cause of Thrombocytopenia in
Infants: Vitamin B12 Deficiency
More details
Hide details
1
Numune Education and Research Hospital
Department of Pediatrics, Adana,
Turkey
2
Çukurova University Faculty of Medicine
Departments of Pediatrics, Adana,
Turkey
Publication date: 2010-01-12
Corresponding author
Mustafa Kömür
Numune Education and Research Hospital
Department of Pediatrics, Adana,
Turkey
Eur J Gen Med 2010;7(1):107-110
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Thrombocytopenia is the reduction of platelet number to below
normal level. It may be due to the decrease in production, increase
in destruction, abnormal spreading in the body or the laboratory
errors. B12 deficiency is a rarely seen vitamin deficiency in childhood.
It presents with megaloblastic anemia and is difficult to diagnose
because of various clinical findings. Here we would like to present two
cases which were hospitalized to investigate the etiology of anemia
and thrombocytopenia. Cases were detected to have vitamin B12
deficiency which is rarely seen in infantile period. A 12-month old male
and a 16-month old female admitted with complaints of weakness,
bruise and pallor. On physical examination, there was tremor of upper
extremities. Anemia, thrombocytopenia and in peripheral blood
macrocytes were detected as laboratory findings. B12 vitamins were
found to be low. Patients recovered clinically after parenteral vitamin
B12 administration. Laboratory findings also changed into normal.