Folate deficiency
Folate deficiency causes a disorder resulting in distinctive dyserythropoietic abnormalities in the bone marrow - megaloblastic erythropoiesis - associated with abnormally large red cells in the peripheral blood - macrocytosis.
Folate is present in most foods, notably green vegetables, liver and nuts, but it may be destroyed by cooking.
In patients with grossly deficient diets folate deficiency is relatively common because stores are meagre, being sufficient for only 3-4 months.
Reference
- Allen LH. Causes of vitamin B12 and folate deficiency. Food Nutr Bull. 2008 Jun;29(2 Suppl):S20-34; discussion S35-7.
Related pages
Create an account to add page annotations
Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.