Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6) Need in Infants and Children

The clinical manifestations of pyridoxine deficiency in infants have been described in recent reports. Snyderman and co-workers1noted the occurrence of microcytic, hypochromic anemia in one and convulsions in the second of two infants maintained on a diet deficient in pyridoxine hyrdochloride for a prolonged period of time. The clinical manifestations were improved by adding pyridoxine hydrochloride to the basal diet. Convulsions occurred in a group of infants fed milk mixtures deficient in pyridoxine hydrochloride according to reports by Coursin2and Moloney and Parmelee.3This symptom did not recur when the diet contained adequate amounts of pyridoxine hydrochloride. It is noteworthy that the infants reported in detail were all under 3 months of age, save for the two children reported by Snyderman, who were 8 months and 2 years of age, respectively. Stimulated by these reports we have sought evidence of pyridoxine need in a small group