ASSESSING THE EFFICACY OF ORAL VITAMIN B 12 TO PARENTERAL VITAMIN B12 IN TREATING CHILD SUBJECTS WITH NUTRITIONAL MACROCYTIC ANEMIA

Abstract

Background: Information on the effectiveness of several delivery methods for vitamin B12 in 
children with macrocytic-megaloblastic anaemia and vitamin B12 deficiency is limited in the 
literature. 
Aim: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relative effectiveness of parenteral vs oral 
vitamin B12 in the treatment of nutritional macrocytic anaemia in paediatric patients. 
Methods: A total of 160 kid patients, ranging in age from 3 months to 18 years, were evaluated 
for the study. Laboratory and clinical results pointed to megaloblastic macrocytic anaemia. One 
parenteral dosage of 1000µg of vitamin B12 was administered to each individual. The 
participants were then split into two groups at random: Group I received 1500 µg of vitamin B12 
orally every day for three months (500 µg if the subjects were younger than two years old), and 
Group II received 1000 µg of B12 intramuscularly every three days for ten years or older, 
respectively, followed by two doses of 1000 µg. For both groups, iron and folic acid were 
administered. After three months, serum vitamin B12 and haemoglobin levels were compared. 
Results: Group II showed a substantial improvement in their vitamin B12 levels (p=0.01). 
Haemoglobin levels in Group II also showed a substantial improvement (p=0.001). 
Conclusion: The research findings indicate that parenteral vitamin B12 administration, as 
opposed to oral vitamin B12, significantly improves haemoglobin and blood vitamin B12 levels 
in children with macrocytic anaemia.