Folic Acid Test Technique

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Do Thi Hoang Ha - Doctor of Biochemistry - Laboratory Department - Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital.
Folic Acid test is one of the laboratory tests conducted today to check the deficiency of vitamin B9 in the human body. To be able to timely detect abnormalities taking place inside the body, we need to know what a Folic Acid test is as well as when to perform a Folic Acid test.

1. What is Folic Acid?

Folic acid, also known as pteroylmonoglutamic acid, is a synthetic form of vitamin B9 (also known as Folate or Vitamin M), necessary for the human body's red blood cell function, helping to metabolize proteins, lipids, and glucides. plays an important role in the production of nucleic acids, which are the genetic basis of the nucleus of all cells, including ribonucleic acid and desoxyribonucleic acid. Therefore, folic acid is necessary for the division of all body cells.. Besides, folic acid also plays an important role in the development and growth of infants, namely preventing the possibility of birth defects such as brain defects, spinal cord defects.
Folic acid is abundant in liver, kidney and some foods such as dark green leafy vegetables (spinach, asparagus, collard greens ...), cereals, milk... When pregnant women, Folic Acid requirements will increase to meet the increased demands during pregnancy. Specifically, it is required for the acceleration of cell division (nuclear and protein synthesis), placental formation, increased red blood cell count and fetal growth. Folic acid deficiency before and during pregnancy can cause miscarriage or birth defects such as cleft palate, palate, Down syndrome, especially dangerous neural tube defects. More seriously, Folic Acid deficiency also leads to Megaloblastic anemia, which affects a number of organs in the body.

2. Folic Acid Test

Folic Acid Test is a test that helps to quantify Folic Acid in the blood, early diagnosis of cases of Folic Acid deficiency causing anemia for timely treatment. Folic Acid test can show whether the body is deficient in Folic Acid even without some clinical symptoms, so it is extremely important to perform this type of test. in diagnosing the causes of anemia.
To conduct a Folic Acid test, the patient needs to fast for 6-8 hours before taking a blood sample for testing. For patients who are taking certain drugs or vitamins and herbs, it is necessary to inform the treating doctor to have an indication to stop the drug on time before performing the Folic Acid test. Patients will usually have blood drawn on the inside of the elbow for testing, paying attention to alcohol disinfection at the blood collection site to ensure sterility. Some patients drink too much alcohol, which will affect the results of the Folic Acid test, so it is important to tell your doctor about your alcohol history.

3. When is the Folic Acid test done?

For patients with signs of Folic Acid deficiency or anemia such as blue skin, pale mucous membranes, dizziness, lightheadedness, etc., a Folic Acid test is indicated. In addition, there are many indications for performing a Folic Acid test, including the following:
Find the cause of anemia: Folic acid test is indicated along with vitamin B12 test to check if anemia is caused by anemia. What causes it Assess the status of malnutrition and malabsorption of Folic Acid Monitor the treatment process of Folic Acid deficiency and vitamin B12 deficiency Assess the health of pregnant women, whether there is a deficiency of Folic Acid or not You also have You may need this test if you have an intestinal disorder, such as Celiac disease or Crohn's disease. These disorders make it difficult for your body to properly absorb folic acid, so it's important to get tested regularly.

Some symptoms of Folic Acid deficiency and vitamin B12 deficiency can be encountered clinically to help patients detect and proactively go to medical facilities to perform a Folic Acid test as follows:
Diarrhea, constipation Tongue swollen, red gums Bleeding gums Pale mouth, loss of appetite Body weakness, fatigue Headache Headache Numbness in the limbs Movement difficulty Memory impairment, possibly memory loss Blue skin, pale mucous membranes Dizziness , fatigue Pulse, very fast heart rate Shortness of breath Shock.

4. Read Folic Acid Test Result

When reading Folic Acid test results, if the Folic Acid concentration in the blood is between 2.7-17 ng/ml, it is completely normal, if it is outside this range, the patient may be experiencing Folic Acid deficiency. or too much Folic Acid is explained as follows:
Excess Folic Acid This is not a dangerous medical condition for the body but can be a sign that the human body is at risk of vitamin B12 deficiency. The reason is that when the body lacks vitamin B12, it cannot use the amount of folic acid taken in from food, so it will lead to an excess of folic acid. At this time, a number of more tests will be ordered by the treating doctor to determine clearly the cause of excess folic acid is vitamin B12 or another abnormal condition.
Folic Acid Deficiency When the amount of Folic Acid in the blood is lower than 2.7 ng/ml, the body may be suffering from anemia, poor absorption of nutrients, kidney and liver related diseases... In addition, deficiency Folic acid is also encountered when women are pregnant because the body needs to be supplied with more folic acid for the development of the fetus, or in patients with hemolytic anemia when red blood cells are destroyed very quickly cause the body to need more Folic Acid to produce red blood cells, or maybe cancer... The doctor will have some follow-up tests to confirm the diagnosis with the most certainty to have a method. effective treatment.
Folic Acid test is a necessary test to assess whether the level of folic acid in the body is high, low or normal. Folic acid test is not only important in finding the cause of anemia, but also helps to evaluate some medical problems of the body such as folic acid absorption disease, liver disease, kidney disease, cancer. ...

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