| Abstrakt: |
Vitamin B12 deficiency may present with a psychosis which is curable if treated promptly.1-8 Although this fact is not new and is described in various textbooks,9,10 it seems that it is often forgotten, which results in prolonged suffering from irreversible brain damage.1 Accordingly, the following case report is presented to reemphasize the value of recognizing and promptly treating "megaloblastic madness." PATIENT SUMMARY A 53-year-old Negro woman was admitted to the District of Columbia General Hospital for the first time on Sept 12, 1968, because of psychosis and anemia. She had become increasingly anorectic for two months before admission and lost 13.6 kg (30 lb). During the last month she had become unmanageable at home by refusing all food, defecating and urinating in bed, and failing to recognize her husband. She was fearful that various unknown persons would harm her and had to be led by the |
