Abstrakt
This article may help to increase awareness of this rare but potentially life-threatening complication of nutritional vitamin B12 deficiency among health professionals in pediatric care and may have some practical consequences. Firstly, a history of a vegan diet could be an important clue in the differential diagnosis in an infant with sudden symptomatology (e. g. unconsciousness, seizures or metabolic impairment).
Secondly, all presented patients did not adequately supplement vitamin B12. This emphasizes the role of appropriate and regular medical supervision in infants on a vegan diet.
Vitamin B12 supplementation is always necessary, while iron, calcium, omega 3 fatty acids, selen and zinc substitution is recommended only in individual cases.