Unmasking Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis Induced by Vitamin B12 Deficiency

TL;DR

A man on a vegan diet developed brain vein clot due to vitamin B12 deficiency, showing how this deficiency can lead to serious neurological issues.

Contribution

Highlights vitamin B12 deficiency as a rare cause of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis in a young, otherwise healthy individual.

Findings

Cerebral venous thrombosis was diagnosed in a 45-year-old man with no prior medical history.

Vitamin B12 deficiency was identified as the underlying cause of the thrombosis.

The case emphasizes the importance of considering nutritional deficiencies in diagnosing neurological symptoms.

Abstract

This is the case of a healthy, 45-year-old right-handed man with no past medical issues who presented with mild drowsiness, language difficulty, right-sided weakness, and headache. Vital signs were unremarkable, and on examination, he was drowsy and found to have expressive aphasia and right upper and lower extremity flaccid paralysis. The patient was found to have cerebral venous thrombosis on imaging, as a result of his vitamin B12 deficiency from a vegan diet. The purpose of this clinical reasoning case is to instruct readers on the localization of symptoms, key imaging findings, approach to the diagnosis and etiologic considerations, and the relevance of biochemistry to the pathophysiology of this case.

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