Via practica 3/2017

Neurological disorders in vitamin B12 deficiency

Vitamin B12 deficiency plays an important role in organism as the cofactor of important intermediary metabolism enzymes. The vitamin B12 deficiency is caused by malabsorption in the gastrointestinal tract, insufficient nourishment by food or genetic deficiency of methsylmalonylCoA-mutase enzyme. The vitamin B12 deficiency usually presents with various haematological, neurological and psychiatric symptoms. Neurological manifestations include myelopathy, neuropathy and, rarely, optic nerve atrophy. Myelopathy in vitamin B12 deficiency presents as subacute combined degeneration of spinalcord (funicular myelosis), characterized by degeneration of the lateral and mainly posterior columns. The aim of our work is to point out variable clinical manifestations of the vitamin B12 deficiency on the basis of selected case reports series.

Keywords: vitamin B12 deficiency, subacute combined degeneration of spinal cord, polyneuropathy, long-term substitution of vitamin B12