Presentation
Blood tests may include the following: Hemoglobin—will be lower than normal if any type of anemia is present Mean corpuscular volume (MCV)—measures the size of the red blood cell and will be larger than normal if folic acid deficiency is present Color [empowher.com]
A higher risk of presenting OW/OB was found for participants with FA intake less than the RDI of 400 µg/day and for those with VB12 intake less than the RDI of 2.4 µg/day. [dspace.lboro.ac.uk]
Assessment of serum copper levels may be beneficial when clinical signs of overload or deficiency are present. [www2.kidney.org]
With a lower UL, the percentage of persons exceeding the UL would be higher than presented in this study. [link.springer.com]
An important unanswered question about folate is whether the present RDA is enough to normalize MTHFR enzyme levels in individuals with the genetic variation. Authored by Dr Peter Engel in 2010, reviewed and revised by Angelika Friedel on 29.06.2017 [nutri-facts.org]
Entire Body System
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Disability
Implementation of these recommendations is essential for the primary prevention of these serious and disabling birth defects. [pediatrics.aappublications.org]
Medically Reviewed by Lindsey Marcellin, MD, MPH Birth defects, which are structural or functional abnormalities present at birth, result in physical and mental disabilities. [everydayhealth.com]
These figures come from the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network monitoring data collected in 2010. [omicsonline.org]
Prepare for the Unexpected Folate deficiency is a major cause of neural tube defects (NTD)—serious birth defects of the brain or spinal cord that can cause lifelong disability or even death (11). [blog.insidetracker.com]
PubMed Google Scholar Cardozo BL, Bilukha OO, Crawford CA, Shaikh I, Wolfe MI, Gerber ML, Anderson M: Mental health, social functioning, and disability in postwar Afghanistan. JAMA. 2004, 292: 575-584. 10.1001/jama.292.5.575. [bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com]
Gastrointestinal
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Failure to Thrive
In infants and children, folate deficiency can lead to failure to thrive or slow growth rate, diarrhea, oral ulcers, megaloblastic anemia, neurological deterioration. [en.wikipedia.org]
Patients present with low to undetectable concentrations of folate in serum and cerebrospinal fluid, pancytopenia (low number of all blood cells), impaired immune responses that increase susceptibility to infections, and a general failure to thrive (149 [lpi.oregonstate.edu]
Workup
The presentation typically consists of macrocytosis and hypersegmented polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs). [23] More detailed laboratory findings are discussed in the Workup section. [emedicine.medscape.com]
Treatment
It is important to confirm a diagnosis before treatment begins. Treatment A folic acid supplement is often the first step. It can increase the folic acid in the body. Related conditions may also need treatment. [cancercarewny.com]
It is especially important to confirm a diagnosis of folic acid deficiency before treatment with supplemental folic acid begins. [empowher.com]
The relationship of vitamin C and folic acid has been reported in dermatological literature, most extensively by Montes, a world-renowned expert on the role of vitamins and nutrition in the treatment of vitiligo. [blog.recouleur.com]
Accepted Folic acid deficiency (prophylaxis and treatment)—Folic acid is indicated for prevention and treatment of folic acid deficiency states, including megaloblastic anemia and in anemias of nutritional origin, pregnancy, infancy, or childhood. {01 [drugs.com]
Etiology
Neural tube defects: Prevalence, etiology and prevention. Int J Urol 2009;16(1):49-57. Bassuk AG, Kibar Z. Genetic basis of neural tube defects. Semin Pediatr Neurol 2009;16(3):101-10. Beaudin AE, Stover PJ. [cps.ca]
Also, a genetic component in NTD etiology is evidenced by the increased risk in women with a family history of an NTD and also by variations in risk among ethnicities (37). [lpi.oregonstate.edu]
Epidemiology
Based on this epidemiologic evidence, several randomized controlled trials were initiated investigating the effect of the B vitamins (including folic acid) on cancer risk. [sciencebasedmedicine.org]
Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, Vol. 69, Issue. 9, p. 826. CrossRef Google Scholar Ramage, Stephanie McCargar, Linda Berglund, Casey Harber, Vicki Bell, Rhonda and Team, the 2015. [cambridge.org]
Epidemiologic and genetic aspects of spina bifida and other neural tube defects. Dev Disabil Res Rev 2010;16(1):6-15. Blencowe H, Cousens S, Modell B, Lawn J. Folic acid to reduce neonatal mortality from neural tube disorders. [cps.ca]
Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention 16(7): 1325–1329. [els.net]
[…] supplementation and child Asperger syndrome or pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified. [6] Effects on carcinogens Diminished folate status has historically been associated with enhanced carcinogenesis. [16] As recently as 2002, authors cited epidemiologic [emedicine.medscape.com]
Pathophysiology
Understanding Pathophysiology (3rd ed.). Mosby. p. 543. ISBN 978-0-323-02368-9. Tamparo C (2011). Diseases of the Human Body (Fifth ed.). Philadelphia, PA. p. 337. ISBN 978-0-8036-2505-1. Haslam N, Probert CS (February 1998). [en.wikipedia.org]
Prevention
Prevention for Other High-Risk Persons. No intervention or observational studies address prevention for other high-risk persons. [pediatrics.aappublications.org]
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 31 Dec 2014. Web. 25 April 2015. 15."Folic Acid: Questions and Answers." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. [blog.insidetracker.com]
Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention 16(7): 1325–1329. [els.net]
Proper nutrition prior to conception and during pregnancy can help prevent birth defects. Learn about the different nutrients to include in your diet. [everydayhealth.com]
A further study suggests that an extra 200 mg/day or possibly 100 µg/day if taken habitually in fortified food would prevent most if not all of folate-preventable NTDs ( 26 ). [fao.org]