What is the lab test for folic acid?
A folate test measures the amount of folate in the blood. Folate is one of many B vitamins. The body needs folate for normal growth and to make red blood cells (RBC), white blood cells (WBC), and platelets. Folate also is important for the normal development of a baby (fetus).
What population is deficient in folic acid?
Folate deficiency affects 5% of total US population. In the US, folate deficiency was present in school-age children (2.3% of the folate-deficient population), adults (24.5%), and older people (10.8%) before folic acid fortification was introduced.
Why does folic acid need laboratory monitoring?
This blood test is used to detect a folic acid deficiency, monitor therapy with folic acid, and/or evaluate megaloblastic and macrocytic anemia. Deficiencies in folic acid can cause neural tube defects to occur to a fetus during pregnancy. This blood test is used to determine folic acid (folate) levels.
How do you investigate folic acid deficiency?
To check for folate deficiency anemia, your doctor will ask you about your symptoms. They might also order blood tests and a complete blood count (CBC) test to measure the number and appearance of your red blood cells. If you have a lack of folate, your red blood cells look large and immature.
What does high folic acid test mean?
High levels of folate in the blood may mean that you eat a diet rich in folate or folic acid, take vitamins, or take folic acid pills. Consuming more folate than the body needs does not cause problems. High folate levels can also mean a vitamin B12 deficiency. Body cells need vitamin B12 to use folate.
How is folate levels determined?
There are two ways of measuring folate in a blood sample. The most common method is measuring the folate level in serum, which refers to the liquid portion of blood. The other method measures the folate in the red blood cell component of blood.
Which populations are at the highest risk of a folate deficiency?
Folate deficiency is most commonly found in pregnant and lactating women, people with chronic conditions of the gastrointestinal tract, people following restricted diets due to weight-loss regimes or medical conditions, people with alcohol dependence and people more than 65 years of age.
Which population groups are at increased risk of folate deficiency?
The greatest risk appears to be among low-income populations and institutionalized elderly people; risk is lower in the free-living elderly population.
What lab values are low in a patient with folate deficiency?
It is important to note that as many as one third of patients with folate deficiency will have low serum Cbl levels (some with levels <74 pmol/L [100 pg/mL]) that return to normal with folate therapy.
What causes folic acid deficiency?
What are the causes of folic acid deficiency? Not eating enough foods containing folic acid (folate) is the most common cause. This occurs most often in elderly people who do not eat well. Alcohol-dependent people are another group often not eating properly.
What lab values indicate folate deficiency anemia?
Therefore, the serum folate test is definitive only when the level is greater than 5.0 ng/mL, which rules out folate deficiency.
What lab value is normal in folate deficiency?
The lower limit of the reference range for serum folate varies depending on technical factors but is usually set at about 6.8 nmol/L (3 ng/mL). Serum folate levels decrease within a few days of dietary folate restriction,31 although tissue stores may be normal.
What causes high folic acid levels?
Is folate tested in CBC?
When is it ordered? B12 and folate levels may be ordered when a complete blood count (CBC) and/or blood smear, done as part of a health checkup or an evaluation for anemia, shows a low red blood cell (RBC) count, decreased hemoglobin and hematocrit, and the presence of large RBCs.
What causes a folic acid deficiency?
Who is risk deficiency of folic acid?
Folate is a vitamin that helps your body make red blood cells and DNA. Folate is especially important for people who are pregnant, as it aids in the development of your unborn baby. While folate deficiency is rare, it can cause severe complications such as birth defects and anemia.
What research is being done on folic acid?
Current folic acid research activities include: Looking at how a woman’s intake of micronutrients, including folic acid, may affect the risk for specific birth defects. Studying why Hispanics appear to be at higher risk for neural tube defects.
What is the reference range for folic acid?
Reference Range. Testing the folate level, which is also known as folic acid and vitamin B9, is primarily used in the diagnosis of megaloblastic anemia. The reference range of the plasma folate level varies by age, as follows: Adults: 2-20 ng/mL, or 4.5-45.3 nmol/L.
What percentage of folic acid is bioavailable?
About 85% of supplemental folic acid, when taken with food, is bioavailable [2,4]. When consumed without food, nearly 100% of supplemental folic acid is bioavailable. Dietary supplements containing 5-methyl-THF (also called methylfolate), a reduced form of folate, are also available.
What is a folic acid deficiency test?
This test is done to check for folic acid deficiency. Folic acid helps form red blood cells and produce DNA that stores genetic codes. Taking the right amount of folic acid before and during pregnancy helps prevent neural tube defects, such as spina bifida.