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Involuntary movements during vitamin B12 treatment
Ozlem Ozdemir1, Birol Baytan, Adalet Meral Gunes
1Department of Pediatric Neurology, Uludag University, Medical Faculty, 16059 Görükle Bursa, Turkey.
Insights
Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause neurological issues. This study reports three infants experiencing movement disorders, including tremor and myoclonus, during vitamin B12 treatment, which were managed with medication.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Pediatrics
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Vitamin B12 deficiency is a known cause of neurological complications.
- Involuntary movements can manifest during vitamin B12 deficiency and its treatment.
Observation:
- Three infants presented with a movement disorder during vitamin B12 administration.
- The disorder involved tremor and myoclonus affecting the face, tongue, and limbs.
Findings:
- Symptomatic treatment was required due to symptom severity.
- Two infants' involuntary movements resolved with clonazepam.
- One infant's movements were successfully treated with piracetam.
Implications:
- This highlights a potential adverse effect of vitamin B12 treatment in infants.
- Early recognition and symptomatic management are crucial for managing these movement disorders.
- Further research may elucidate the mechanisms behind these treatment-induced movement disorders.
Abstract:
It has been known for many years that vitamin B12 deficiency can cause neurologic problems. One of these problems is involuntary movements that can appear both before and after the initiation of vitamin B12 treatment. Here, we report 3 infants who developed movement disorder during vitamin B12 administration. The movement disorder consisted of a combination of tremor and myoclonus affecting face, tongue, and limbs. Because of the severity of the symptoms, they all needed symptomatic treatment. In 2 of them, the involuntary movements resolved with clonazepam. The involuntary movements in the other patient were successfully treated with piracetam.
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