Epileptic Spasms During Recovery From Nutritional Infantile Vitamin B₁₂ Deficiency

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Neurology
• Nutritional Science

Background:

• Vitamin B12 deficiency is a rare cause of infantile epileptic spasms.
• Epileptic spasms can occur concurrently with or during recovery from vitamin B12 deficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the presentation and management of three infants with vitamin B12 deficiency who developed epileptic spasms during recovery.
• To highlight the potential impact of these spasms on neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Case series describing three infants with vitamin B12 deficiency.
• Clinical and laboratory data collection.
• Electroencephalography (EEG) for hypsarrhythmia assessment.
• Treatment with vitamin B12, prednisolone, and other antiseizure medications.

Main Results:

• All three infants presented with vitamin B12 deficiency and developed epileptic spasms during recovery.
• EEG revealed hypsarrhythmia in all cases.
• Vitamin B12 treatment initially resolved symptoms, but spasms emerged later.
• Prednisolone and other antiseizure medications led to slow spasm resolution.
• Two infants experienced cognitive and language delays.

Conclusions:

• Epileptic spasms can emerge during the recovery phase of vitamin B12 deficiency in infants.
• This phenomenon can complicate the clinical course and potentially affect neurodevelopmental outcomes.
• Management may require both vitamin B12 repletion and specific epilepsy treatments.