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Help with my Daughters blood test results

coxey61 profile image
11 Replies

Hi my daughters results are back and I have some concerns can someone please advise, she is 18 and been feeling unwell lately.

Serum folate= 2.6 ug/L

Erythrocyte sedimentation =31mm/h

monocyte count = 0.9 10*9/L

Can anyone explain what these mean and what they should be.

Concerned mum Thank you

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coxey61 profile image
coxey61
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11 Replies
Gambit62 profile image
Gambit62Administrator

Bit difficult to comment without the reference ranges - though the folate levels do look very low.

This article may help on the other cell counts

nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/enc...

coxey61 profile image
coxey61 in reply toGambit62

on the print out ive got it states serum folate=2.6ug/L

low replete 5.4-20.0ug/L

INDETERMINATE 3.4-5.3 UG/L

Deficient <3.4ug/L

If that makes sense to you, your a better person than me I am so confused.

Thank you

Gambit62 profile image
Gambit62Administrator in reply tocoxey61

you are being given 3 ranges and told what the results mean if they fall into those ranges.  At 2.6 the result fits into the third of the rangers - under 3.4ug/L.

This means that your daughter does not have enough folate in her blood - and she needs a lot more.

Low folate will mean amongst other things that she is unable to process B12 properly which will make her more susceptible to infections ... and if I understand the other results correctly they are indicative of an infection.

This is a link to the BCSH guidelines on folate (B9) and cobalamin (B12) deficiencies.

bcshguidelines.com/document...

see page 16 which is where all the details of folate deficiency start - which includes the following:

Severe folate deficiency can cause pancytopenia and megaloblastic anaemia.

It also states that diagnosing folate deficiency means looking at symptoms

p22-23 list some potential causes

coxey61 profile image
coxey61 in reply toGambit62

Thank you ill take a look.

fbirder profile image
fbirder in reply tocoxey61

The key line here is:

Deficient<3.4 ug/L

The < symbol means 'less than'. So it's saying that any value less than 3.4 micrograms of folate per litre of blood is deficient.

That means your value of 2.6ug/L is quite a bit lower than it should be.

bowler profile image
bowler

The  Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate is approx. [ 5 to 15 ]   so at 31 it suggests some inflammation, 

coxey61 profile image
coxey61 in reply tobowler

Thank you would this be serious at all.

Laura5 profile image
Laura5 in reply tocoxey61

It is possible that this is just from the folate deficiency. When I was anaemic (iron deficiency) my ESR was a similar level.

bowler profile image
bowler in reply toLaura5

my esr was raised when I had a high ferrtin  count, which I was told  is another sign of inflammation  

bowler profile image
bowler in reply tocoxey61

Not necessarily,  A rise in the ESR  can happen with a cold, and sore throat,   however a raise in the ESR only tells you there is some inflammation, but not where it is, so the Dr. would go by the symptoms, 

Sleepybunny profile image
Sleepybunny

Hi,

Has she had a ferritin test, a B12 test and a full blood count (FBC) as well?

Are you in the UK?

b12deficiency.info/b12-test...

b12deficiency.info/what-to-...

patient.info/doctor/full-bl...

patient.info/doctor/pernici...

patient.info/doctor/folate-...

Important info in Management section in link above about folate deficiency. I have read that treating folate deficiency without treating a co-existing B12 deficiency can cause problems.

Useful UK B12 websites

b12deficiency.info/

pernicious-anaemia-society....

PAS tel. 01656 769 717

b12d.org/

I am not a medic, just a patient who has struggled to get a diagnosis.

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