Biomaterial Database

Multiple sclerosis associated with vitamin B12 deficiency. 1991

E H Reynolds, and J C Linnell, and J E Faludy

Department of Neurology, King's College Hospital, London, England.

We describe 10 patients with a previously unreported, to our knowledge, association of multiple sclerosis and unusual vitamin B12 deficiency. The clinical features and the age at presentation were typical of multiple sclerosis, with eight cases occurring before age 40 years, which is a rare age for vitamin B12 deficiency. Nine patients had hematologic abnormalities, but only two were anemic. All six patients examined had low erythrocyte cobalamin levels. Only two patients had pernicious anemia; in the remaining patients the vitamin B12 deficiency was unexplained. A vitamin B12 binding and/or transport is suspected. The nature of the association of multiple sclerosis and vitamin B12 deficiency is unclear but is likely to be more than coincidental. Further studies of vitamin B12 metabolism, binding, and transport in multiple sclerosis are indicated, as these cases may offer a clue to the understanding of a still mysterious neurologic disorder.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D009103	Multiple Sclerosis	An autoimmune disorder mainly affecting young adults and characterized by destruction of myelin in the central nervous system. Pathologic findings include multiple sharply demarcated areas of demyelination throughout the white matter of the central nervous system. Clinical manifestations include visual loss, extra-ocular movement disorders, paresthesias, loss of sensation, weakness, dysarthria, spasticity, ataxia, and bladder dysfunction. The usual pattern is one of recurrent attacks followed by partial recovery (see MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS, RELAPSING-REMITTING), but acute fulminating and chronic progressive forms (see MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS, CHRONIC PROGRESSIVE) also occur. (Adams et al., Principles of Neurology, 6th ed, p903)	MS (Multiple Sclerosis),Multiple Sclerosis, Acute Fulminating,Sclerosis, Disseminated,Disseminated Sclerosis,Sclerosis, Multiple
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000328	Adult	A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available.	Adults
D000752	Anemia, Pernicious	A megaloblastic anemia occurring in children but more commonly in later life, characterized by histamine-fast achlorhydria, in which the laboratory and clinical manifestations are based on malabsorption of vitamin B 12 due to a failure of the gastric mucosa to secrete adequate and potent intrinsic factor. (Dorland, 27th ed)	Addison's Anemia,Anemia, Addison's,Pernicious Anemia,Addison Anemia,Addisons Anemia,Anemia, Addison,Anemia, Addisons
D014805	Vitamin B 12	A cobalt-containing coordination compound produced by intestinal micro-organisms and found also in soil and water. Higher plants do not concentrate vitamin B 12 from the soil and so are a poor source of the substance as compared with animal tissues. INTRINSIC FACTOR is important for the assimilation of vitamin B 12.	Cobalamin,Cyanocobalamin,Cobalamins,Eritron,Vitamin B12,B 12, Vitamin,B12, Vitamin
D014806	Vitamin B 12 Deficiency	A nutritional condition produced by a deficiency of VITAMIN B 12 in the diet, characterized by megaloblastic anemia. Since vitamin B 12 is not present in plants, humans have obtained their supply from animal products, from multivitamin supplements in the form of pills, and as additives to food preparations. A wide variety of neuropsychiatric abnormalities is also seen in vitamin B 12 deficiency and appears to be due to an undefined defect involving myelin synthesis. (From Cecil Textbook of Medicine, 19th ed, p848)	Deficiency, Vitamin B 12,Deficiency, Vitamin B12,Vitamin B12 Deficiency,Deficiencies, Vitamin B12,Vitamin B12 Deficiencies