Subacute combined degeneration of the cervical and dorsal spinal cord in a 40-year-old male patient: A case report

Abstract

Subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord is a neurologic complication of vitamin B12 deficiency. It presents as a potentially reversible demyelination of the posterior and lateral columns of the cervical and dorsal spinal cord. We present the case of a 40-year-old male with progressive sensory and motor deficit from the lower extremities ascending to the mid-thoracic region. A combination of laboratory tests and magnetic resonance imaging confirmed the diagnosis of subacute degeneration of the spinal cord due to vitamin B12 deficiency.

Subacute Combined Degeneration of the Spinal Cord Secondary to Nitrous Oxide Abuse

“…The symptoms occur due to the development of lesions in the cord’s lateral corticospinal tracts and dorsal columns, respectively [ 1 ]. In addition to this, the patient can have psychosis and memory impairment [ 2 ]. The laboratory findings include macrocytic anemia and hypersegmented neutrophils.…”

The effects of vitamin B12 deficiency

“…Certain studies show that vitamin B12 may play a significant role in lowering homocysteine levels, thus preventing stroke. In case studies of fortyyear-olds with progressive sensory and motor impairments from the lower extremities extending into the middle thoracic region, the diagnosis of subacute spinal cord degeneration, which occurred due to vitamin B12 deficiency, was confirmed by laboratory tests and magnetic resonance imaging [21]. In content of the previous claim is also a case study of a 37-year-old woman with ataxia, lower extremity proprioception loss, dorsal spine demyelination, and other laboratory findings confirming nitric oxide abuse.…”

A case of subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord diagnosed with difficulty due to a history of treatment for pyogenic spondylitis

“… 2 In a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study of the spinal cord, the T2 hyperintense signal within the posterior funiculus on axial images is distinctive. 3 , 4 Patients often present with hematological, gastrointestinal, psychiatric, and neurological symptoms. 5 Early diagnosis and treatment of SCD are essential because the damage to the nervous system is often irreversible, and the progression of other peripheral symptoms, such as anemia, is life‐threatening.…”