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Isolation of Leukocytes from Human Breast Milk for Use in an Antibody-dependent Cellular Phagocytosis Assay of HIV Targets
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Frequent Infections, Hypotonia, and Anemia in a Breastfed Infant

Fatma Kamoun1, Rime Guirat, Fatma Megdich

  • 1*Pediatrics Department, Hedi Chaker Hospital †Faculty of Medicine of Sfax ‡Hematology Laboratory, Habib Bourguiba Hospital, Sfax, Tunisia.

Journal of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
|January 7, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Maternal pernicious anemia caused vitamin B12 deficiency in an infant, leading to pancytopenia and failure to thrive. Supplementation rapidly resolved these severe hematologic and developmental issues.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Hematology
  • Nutrition

Background:

  • Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause severe hematologic and neurodevelopmental issues.
  • Early diagnosis and intervention are crucial for affected infants.

Observation:

  • An 8-month-old exclusively breastfed infant presented with recurrent infections, failure to thrive, hypotonia, and weakness.
  • The infant exhibited pancytopenia with megaloblastic bone marrow, low serum IgG, and very low vitamin B12 levels.

Findings:

  • The infant's cobalamin deficiency stemmed from the mother's undiagnosed pernicious anemia.
  • Elevated urinary methylmalonic acid confirmed the vitamin B12 deficiency.

Implications:

  • This case highlights the importance of considering maternal nutritional status in infant health.
  • Prompt vitamin B12 supplementation can reverse severe clinical and hematologic abnormalities in infants.

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