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Jun 2023

Folate deficiency : Causes, risk factors, symptoms and diagnosis

Posted By Suborna Fermi Posted on Jun 17, 2023

Folate is known as a water soluble vitamin. A human body needs a sufficient amount of folate to function in a proper manner. We consume folate through the consumption of certain types of foods. Folate plays a key role in making and repairing DNA and also in producing red blood cells. This is the prime reason why maintaining a healthy folate level in the body is extremely necessary to avoid the chances of folate deficiency because folate deficiency has the potential to be the reason for so many kinds of critical health conditions.

A folate deficiency can take place if your daily diet lacks sufficient amounts of folate. In other words, if you don’t consume enough of those foods that are rich in folate, you may face a folate deficiency. Apart from that, you may also face a folate deficiency if you have any certain health condition that prevents your body’s natural folate converting process in its usable form or prevents your body from absorbing folate. As a matter of fact, dark green vegetables and citrus juice are known as two of the most mentionable sources of folate. Apart from that, bread, pasta, rice and some kinds of cereals are rich in folate and this is why it is necessary to maintain a sufficient consumption rate of all these.

There are certain causes of folate deficiency and it is necessary to have sound knowledge about these so that you can avoid your chances of developing folate deficiency in your body. Some of the major causes of folate deficiency are mentioned below for you.

Causes of folate deficiency

  • If your diet lacks fortified cereals, fresh fruits and vegetables, then you may face a folate deficiency. If you totally reduce your consumption of folate-rich foods, you may face the deficiency of folate in your body approximately in a few weeks.
  • There are certain conditions like celiac disease, crohn’s disease as well as specific types of cancer that can also cause folate deficiency in a human body.
  • Hemolytic anemia is a specific category of Anemia that can cause folate deficiency in your body.
  • There are certain types of medications that can also cause a deficiency in your folate levels.
  • As mentioned before, some people have certain mutations of health conditions that prevent their body from converting the folate in an usable form.

It is also necessary to know about the risk factors of folate deficiency so that you can avoid the risk factors and reduce your chances of facing folate deficiency. Some of the most common risk factors of folate deficiency are mentioned below for you.

Risk factors of folate deficiency

  • Excessive alcohol abuse
  • Overcooked food consumption
  • Pregnancy
  • Vitamin-poor diet
  • Conditions like sickle cell disease
  • Malabsorption syndromes
  • Specific types of medications

It is necessary to keep an eye on the symptoms of folate deficiency that are getting visible in the body. As soon as the symptoms start to show up, it is necessary to go for a checkup to seek medical attention immediately to detect folate deficiency at the earlier stage before it turns serious. Some of the most mentionable symptoms of folate deficiency are mentioned below.

Symptoms of folate deficiency

  • Mouth sores
  • Grey hair
  • Fatigue
  • Weakness
  • Tongue swelling
  • Lethargy
  • Growth problems
  • Irritability
  • Shortness of breath
  • Peripheral neuropathy

As modern diagnosis technologies have improved a lot these days, it’s not really a big deal to determine folate deficiency in your body. It is now possible to determine the presence of folate deficiency in your body with complete accuracy within the shortest possible span of time through advanced diagnostic procedures. Take a glance at how the diagnosis of folate deficiency is performed.

Diagnosis of folate deficiency

A blood test is performed to diagnose the presence of folate deficiency. You will be firstly asked about the symptoms that have started to get visible in your body as well as your medical history. A healthcare professional will be fetching a specific amount of blood from your vein using a syringe. Soon after the blood sample is fetched from your body, the sample will be taken to the laboratory and the folate deficiency test will be performed on that particular blood sample. The amount of folate in your blood will be carefully measured through this specific test. It won’t take much time to generate a test report with complete accuracy once the test is successfully performed. If the generated Folate test report shows that the folate levels in your blood are lower than usual, then it indicates the presence of folate deficiency in your body.

However, it is always the best choice to take necessary actions to deal with folate deficiency naturally. There are certain food habits you can grow that can most certainly help you to stay away from the chances of facing a folate deficiency. There are still a huge number of people who do not know that a healthy folate level in the body can be maintained naturally. As a matter of fact, there are so many types of foods that are rich in folate such as peas, beans, legumes, seafood, liver, meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products. Sufficient consumption of these foods can certainly keep you away from the risks of having a deficiency of folate in your body. You can simply add all these foods in your daily meals to maintain a healthy folate level in the body.

It’s now even easier to get the presence of folate deficiency detected in your body with complete accuracy as a huge number of advanced diagnostic centres have already stepped in with so many essential health test packages that also cover the folate deficiency test. Nowadays, you can easily book one of those test packages online and get yourself tested within the shortest possible span of time. No need to visit a lab physically as the modern labs have also enabled the facilities of home sample collection. You just need to book a slot and exactly on that particular hour, one healthcare professional will be appearing at your doorstep to collect necessary samples for testing purposes. Consult a pathology lab today for a folate test book online.