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Vitamin B12 deficiency presenting as pyrexia.
1Department of Medicine, Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla-171001, Himachal Pradesh.
The Journal of the Association of Physicians of India
|July 15, 2011
Summary
Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause fever (pyrexia) and anemia. Treating this deficiency resolved the patient's unexplained fever, highlighting an uncommon but treatable cause.
Area of Science:
- Internal Medicine
- Hematology
- Clinical Diagnostics
Background:
- Pyrexia (fever) typically suggests infection, inflammation, or endocrine disorders.
- Vitamin B12 deficiency is a rare cause of pyrexia.
Observation:
- A patient presented with pyrexia and anemia.
- Other potential causes of fever were systematically excluded.
Findings:
- The patient's condition was diagnosed as megaloblastic anemia secondary to vitamin B12 deficiency.
- Fever resolved completely after vitamin B12 repletion therapy.
Implications:
- Highlights vitamin B12 deficiency as a potential, treatable cause of unexplained pyrexia.
- Emphasizes the importance of considering metabolic causes in fever workups.
- Underscores the diagnostic value of comprehensive blood analysis in fever of unknown origin.
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