Prevalence of functional b12 deficiency amongst exclusively breastfed infants between 1 to 6 months of age- a cross sectional study at kle’s dr prabhakar kore hospital & mrc, belagavi.

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND AIM Vitamins and minerals are important micronutrients which are crucial for the synthesis of hormones, enzymes and facilitating growth and development in the human body. One of the important deficiencies of these vitamins is Vitamin B12 deficiency also known as cobalamin deficiency. Vitamin B12 deficiency is considered as endemic in Indian population. The prevalence of B12 deficiency in India ranges from 47 to 59.1% in adults and 63.7% in infants. Hence, Vitamin B12 deficiency is considered as a significant public health issue especially in children as it not only leads to megaloblastic anemia, but various serious non-hematological problems like demyelination, infantile tremor syndrome, etc., Vitamin B12 deficiency is the commonest preventable cause of mental retardation. Vitamin B12 is one of the commonest preventable deficiency disorders and can lead to various health problems in both children and adults. The present study aimed to estimate the prevalence of functional B12 deficiency in exclusively breastfed infants.