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:

Crohn's Disease
Alcohol Consequences
Ulcerative Colitis
Megaloblastic Anemia

Step 2: Build a Symptom Checklist

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

having watery stools

severe left iliac pain

appendix removed after age 20

very great unexplained weight loss

meal-related bloating

loss of appetite

occasional mucus in stools

high alcohol consumption

recent onset abdominal pain

frequent stools

significant red blood in stools

highly elevated basophil count

... 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
Megaloblastic Anemia	92%	Confirm
Alcohol Consequences	22%	Unlikely
Crohn's Disease	3%	Ruled out
Ulcerative Colitis	2%	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.

Crohn's Disease

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

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™