Abstract | BACKGROUND: Serum folic acid tests are routinely ordered by physicians for evaluating anemia and sometimes ordered for evaluating dementia and altered mental status. OBJECTIVE: DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of consecutive folic acid tests performed on adults over a 4-month period; chart review of patients without anemia. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Serum folic acid level, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), and hematocrit. We reviewed 1,007 folic acid tests performed on 980 patients. The average age was 63.8 years, and 62% of the tests were from outpatient facilities. Only 4 (0.4%) patients had folic acid levels <3 ng/mL, while 10 (1%) patients had levels of 3-4 ng/mL (borderline). Thirty-five percent of the folic acid tests were performed on patients who were not anemic; most of these were ordered to evaluate dementia or altered mental status and folic acid level was normal in all these patients. Only 7% of the patients tested had a macrocytic anemia; these patients were more likely than those without macrocytic anemia to have low folic acid levels (2.8% vs 0.4%, p < .03). CONCLUSION:
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Authors | M Javed Ashraf, James R Cook, Michael B Rothberg |
Journal | Journal of general internal medicine
(J Gen Intern Med)
Vol. 23
Issue 6
Pg. 824-6
(Jun 2008)
ISSN: 1525-1497 [Electronic] United States |
PMID | 18414954
(Publication Type: Journal Article)
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Chemical References |
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Topics |
- Adult
- Aged
- Aged, 80 and over
- Anemia, Macrocytic
(blood, diagnosis)
- Dementia
(blood, etiology)
- Female
- Folic Acid
(blood)
- Folic Acid Deficiency
(complications, diagnosis)
- Humans
- Male
- Medical Audit
- Middle Aged
- Retrospective Studies
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