Study Of Vitamin B12 Deficiency In Malnourished Children Between 6 Months And 5 Years Of Age
Keywords:
Malnutrition, Vitamin B12 deficiency, Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM), Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM), Childhood anemia, Pediatric nutritionAbstract
Background: Malnutrition continues as a major worldwide health problem which brings multiple effects on the health of children throughout their growth and produces long-run consequences for their wellness. Medical practitioners often miss Vitamin B12 deficiency in children but this problem affects malnourished children particularly strongly. A vegetarian diet pattern combined with certain food choices dramatically raises the chances of developing Vitamin B12 deficiency thus leading to both anemia and notable neurological complications.
Methods: The study involved 118 young children within the age range of 6 months to 5 years at a tertiary care hospital in Greater Noida. Nevertheless, researchers excluded five participants due to their presence of chronic illnesses. Research participants received assessments for anthropometry while researchers obtained their serum vitamin B12 levels based on standard chemuminescence methods. The research relied on both hematological parameter testing which determined hemoglobin (HB) quantities and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) while performing peripheral smear assessments.
Results: Among the 118 malnourished children included in the final analysis, 69.5% were categorized as MAM and 30.5% as SAM. The mean age was about 26 months, and 59.3% were males. Overall, 38.1% of the participants demonstrated Vitamin B12 deficiency. The SAM group showed 41.6% Vitamin B12 deficiency but this rate was similar to MAM group's 36.5% deficiency which produced no statistical difference (p = 0.682). The 1–2 years old population displayed the highest incidence of vitamin B12 deficiency.
Conclusion: Early screening and necessary nutritional interventions become vital because Vitamin B12 deficiency affects many malnourished children within this group. Correction of Vitamin B12 deficiency prevents dangerous hematological and neurological effects which leads to enhanced child wellness.
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