Infantile tremor syndrome: Serum vitamin b12, magnesium and zinc levels

Abstract

An obscure entity, characterized by anemia, developmental delay or regression, skin pigmentation, hair changes with or without tremors in infants and young children, was termed infantile tremor syndrome (ITS). This disorder is seen among exclusively breast-fed infants among the mothers who are vegetarian. In the scenario of limited resources to access advanced biomarkers of B12 deficiency a profile of the trace elements and haematological indices to conclusively diagnose this syndrome. This study was planned to determine the proportion of patients with infantile tremor syndrome having low serum levels of trace elements (Vitamin B12, Magnesium, Zinc) in conjunction with hematological indices compared
to that of healthy children. This was an Analytical cross-sectional study involving Children admitted pediatric ward. Serum vitamin B12 levels of baby, serum homocysteine and Zinc & Magnesium levels of the baby had been estimated in this current study. Mean vit. B12 levels was (155.48±121.38) significantly lower in babies of ITS group than that of controls (354.04±37.03) (0.014), mean homocysteine levels was (52.56±17.75) significantly higher in babies of ITS group than that of controls (29.19±18.81) (<0.0001).