Vitamin B12 is one of several B vitamins. In general, B vitamins are important in the growth and development of children; in the operation of enzymes, the proteins that regulate the body's metabolism; and in tissue repair and maintenance. Vitamin B12 plays an important role in producing red blood cells, the cells that carry oxygen throughout the body.
Sources
According to the National Institutes of Health, vitamin B12 is found in animal products, such as eggs, poultry, shellfish and milk products. It is not present in vegetables or plants. Fortified breakfast products also have appropriate levels of vitamin B12. Other foods with high levels of vitamin B12 include salmon, trout, liver and clams. For children, yogurt and milk are the usual sources for this vitamin.
Causes
According to the Merck Manuals, the most common causes of vitamin B12 deficiency in children are inadequate consumption of vitamin B12 containing foods, and inadequate absorption of the vitamin from the small intestine. Inadequate consumption can result if a vegan mother exclusively breastfeeds her baby and the child is not given vitamin supplements. Inadequate absorption can result from surgeries that remove part or all of the small intestines, from overgrowth of bacteria in the intestine, and from conditions that decrease the absorption of nutrients from the gut, like inflammatory bowel disease and cystic fibrosis.
Considerations
The symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency may take months or years to develop, since, according to Lab Tests Online, the body stores three to five years worth of vitamin B12 in the liver. In children, symptoms can appear sooner, since they have less reserves of the vitamin. Over time, vitamin B12 deficiency leads to macrocytic anemia, a condition in which the bone marrow produces fewer and bigger red blood cells. These cells have less capacity to carry oxygen to the tissues. Prolonged deficiency can lead to nerve damage, also known as neuropathy.
Symptoms
The symptoms of macrocytic anemia due to vitamin B12 deficiency include paleness, weakness, fatigue, shortness of breath, difficulty feeding, and an increased heart rate in an effort to overcome the decreased oxygen capacity of the enlarged red blood cells by pumping more blood around the body. Children with neuropathy exhibit numbness and tingling of the extremities, inability to sense the position of their arms and legs, and inability to feel vibratory stimuli. This makes walking difficult. Other symptoms include irritability and confusion.
Treatment
The treatment of vitamin B12 deficiency in children includes vitamin B12 supplementation, which may need to be given by injections if the child has pernicious anemia, a deficiency in intrinsic factor, which is the protein necessary to absorb vitamin B12 from the intestine. The anemia takes several weeks to resolve, but the nerve damage, or neuropathy, may be permanent.
Member Comments