Nutrition · NEET PG Preparation Community Medicine (PSM)
A 6-month-old exclusively breastfed infant is brought to the pediatric OPD with complaints of lethargy, pallor, and developmental regression. Examina…
Practice question from Nutrition (NEET PG Preparation Community Medicine (PSM)), with the correct answer and a step-by-step solution.
medium · MCQ · Q-D9F92B
A 6-month-old exclusively breastfed infant is brought to the pediatric OPD with complaints of lethargy, pallor, and developmental regression. Examination reveals macrocytic anemia and hypersegmented neutrophils on the peripheral blood smear, but neurological examination is normal. The mother is a strict vegan. Which of the following is the most likely deficiency?
- A.Vitamin B12 deficiencyCorrect answer
- B.Folic acid deficiency
- C.Iron deficiency
- D.Vitamin B6 deficiency
Solution
An exclusively breastfed infant of a strict vegan mother is at high risk for Vitamin B12 deficiency due to depleted maternal stores passed on to the breast milk. Unlike folate deficiency, Vitamin B12 deficiency classically presents with neurological manifestations (such as regression or hypotonia), but hematological findings like macrocytic anemia and hypersegmented neutrophils occur in both.
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