VITAMIN B12 DEFICIENCY AN UNUSUAL CAUSE OF FEVER

Abstract

A 19 year old female presented with fever, pallor and hepatosplenomegaly for one month.She had microcytic anemia on peripheral smear examination but her bone marrow aspiration & biopsy revealed ahypercelluar marrow with megaloblasticerythroid hyperplasia. She was given parenteral vitamin B12 therapy as her serum Vitamin B12 levels were found to be low. After 48 hrs of initiation of parenteral vitamin B12 therapy she was afebrile suggesting a causal association.

Vitamin B12 deficiency, thus appears to be an unusual cause of PUO which must therefore be ruled out in every case of PUO. This knowledge may prevent unnecessary investigations & antibiotic usage.