In this test, the level of folic acid in the blood serum is checked. Folic acid is a water-soluble vitamin of the B-complex group of vitamins, which is important for building and reproducing red blood cells and for the production of DNA (Nucleic acid).
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| Folic acid analysis |
Folic acid is mainly found in the following foods:
Liver, and kidneys.
the milk.
eggs.
yeast.
Green vegetables like lettuce.
Folic acid is present in food in an inactive form, when eaten it is broken down and absorbed through the small intestine in its active form and then into the blood circulation.
Folic acid stores in the body are relatively small, and accordingly, malnutrition may lead in a short time to a deficiency of folic acid, especially during pregnancy, when the need for this acid increases as well as in the elderly and alcoholics, folic acid deficiency is characterized by megaloblastic anemia (Megaloblastic anemia).
It is followed to measure the level of folic acid together with the level of vitamin B12 (B12), and high levels of this vitamin do not cause harm or the emergence of disease symptoms, but low levels may lead to many problems, most notably the following:
Anemia.
Low white blood cell count.
Low platelet count.
How to perform the examination
A folic acid test is a blood test. During a blood test, a blood sample will be taken from a vein in your arm using a small needle.
Warnings
general
In very rare cases, the following complications can occur during the examination:
Excessive bleeding at the needle insertion site.
Accumulation of blood under the skin.
Dizziness or fainting when seeing blood.
Infection at the needle site.
During pregnancy:
The level of folic acid may decrease during pregnancy due to the increase in the body's need for it. It is a practice to give folic acid in all cases; Because many studies have shown that giving folic acid may prevent the development of neural tube defects in fetuses.
Medicines that affect the test result
Medicines that may affect folic acid levels for this test are the following:
Antiepileptics, especially phenytoin and pyrimethamine.
Folic acid antagonists, such as: Methotrexate.
Birth control pills , may cause a low level of folic acid.
Analysis of the results
The results of this examination can be interpreted as follows:
The results and proper pronunciation of the folic acid assay are: 3-16 nanograms/milliliter (ng/ml).
The levels outside the normal pronunciation are as follows:
High levels: rarely seen in pernicious anemia, when large amounts of the vitamin are consumed.
Low levels: Low levels for this test indicate the following:
Malnutrition.
Malabsorption in the gastrointestinal tract, including celiac disease.
pregnancy.
metastatic cancer.
Liver diseases.
Hyperthyroidism.