VITAMIN B12 DEFICIENCY PRESENTING AS PANCYTOPENIA AND OROPHARYNGEAL CANDIDIASIS -A CASE REPORT

Dr Pravesh Agarwal, Dr. Subhash Chand and Dr. Vinay Kaushik

ABSTRACT

Deficiency of vitamin B12 is a well known cause of megaloblastic anaemia. Pancytopenia is a relatively common haematological entity. It is a striking feature of many disorders ranging from simple drug induced bone marrow hypoplasia, megaloblastic anaemia to fatal bone marrow aplasias and leukemias. Of the many causes of megaloblastic anaemia, the most common are disorders resulting from cobalamin (vitamin B12) or folate deficiency. The clinical symptoms are weakness, fatigue, shortness of breath and neurological abnormalities. The presence of oral signs and symptoms, including oral candidiasis, glossitis, angular cheilitis and pale oral mucosa are often described in vitamin B12 deficiency states. We present a case of vitamin B12 deficiency presenting to us with oropharyngeal candidiasis (thrush) and pancytopenia. The objective of this paper is to report a case of pancytopenia and oropharyngeal candidiasis due to vitamin B12 deficiency, so that clinicians suspect this entity in their clinical practice, which is very easy to treat.

Keywords: Vitamin B12 deficiency, Megaloblastic anaemia, Pancytopenia, candidiasis.