What Causes Abnormal Folic Acid Levels?

To successfully treat and prevent recurrence of abnormal folic acid levels we need to understand and — if possible — remove the underlying causes and risk factors. We need to ask: "What else is going on inside the body that might allow abnormal folic acid levels to develop?"

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Accurate diagnosis of the factors behind abnormal folic acid levels consists of three steps:

Step 1: List the Possible Causative Factors

Identify all disease conditions, lifestyle choices and environmental risk factors that can lead to abnormal folic acid levels. Here are four possibilities:

Megaloblastic Anemia
Ulcerative Colitis
Crohn's Disease
Alcohol Consequences

Step 2: Build a Symptom Checklist

Identify all possible symptoms and risk factors of each possible cause, and check the ones that apply:

short-term memory failure

occasional mucus in stools

significant abdominal pain

moderate right iliac pain

an enlarged nose

loss of appetite

significant amounts of occult blood

high dairy product consumption

significant hypogastric pain

very great unexplained weight loss

high serum iron

having loose stools

... and more than 50 others

Step 3: Rule Out or Confirm each Possible Cause

A differential diagnosis of your symptoms and risk factors finds the likely cause of abnormal folic acid levels:

Cause	Probability	Status
Crohn's Disease	99%	Confirm
Alcohol Consequences	15%	Unlikely
Ulcerative Colitis	3%	Ruled out
Megaloblastic Anemia	3%	Ruled out

* This is a simple example to illustrate the process

Arriving at a Correct Diagnosis

The Analyst™ is our online diagnosis tool that learns all about you through a straightforward process of multi-level questioning, providing diagnosis at the end.

If you indicate having had recent lab tests, The Analyst™ will ask further questions including this one:

Folic Acid. Unit: nmol/L

Possible responses:

→ Don't know
→ Confirmed deficiency in the past
→ Under 10 (low)
→ 10 to 30 (normal)
→ Over 30 (elevated)

Based on your response to this question, which may indicate history of folic acid deficiency, low folic acid level, normal folic acid level or high folic acid level, The Analyst™ will consider possibilities such as:

Alcohol-related Problems

Alcohol interferes with the metabolism and absorption of folic acid.

Ulcerative Colitis

All inflammatory bowel disease patients are prone to low serum folate levels.

Megaloblastic Anemia / Pernicious Anemia

Concerned or curious about your health? Try The Analyst™