Help !!

[03081963]

Hi all !my lovely friend is feeling wretched here are her blood results

Many thanks Clutter for your reply and suggestions !would be interested to hear what you all think thanks so much again for this brilliant forum x😀

[clivealive Forum Support]

Hi 03081963 as Clutter says her Folate is very low and B12 is in a "grey area". Has her doctor not prescribed folic acid for her?

What sort of diet is she on?

[03081963 in reply to clivealive]

Hey Clive alive !!many thanks for your reply !i will make enquiries to diet but really appreciate your thoughts x😀

[Foggyme Administrator]

Hi 03081963. I agree with Clutter and Clivealive. Your friend has a folate deficency. And her B12 level is I what's called the 'grey' area (that means it's not classified as deficient within the terms of a 'normal' reference range, but it low enough to perhaps give her the symptoms of B12 deficiency.

So...this raise a couple of things:

1) If your friend has symptoms of B12 deficiency, she should be treated for B12 deficency by her GP (all the guidelines state treat the symptoms, not the blood results. And if she has neurological symptoms, she should be treated immediately.

2) The folate deficency should also be treated by her GP. But - and this is important - folate supplements should not be given before the low B12 is treated or this may result in neurological damage - and it will also mask B12 deficency and potentially allow possibly irreversible neurological damage to occur. B12 and folate work together (folate should be in the top third of the reference range) so an added problem is that if folate alone is increased, then the body will use more B12 (because it now has the folate it needs to work properly) and B12 levels may drop even further.

So, folate deficency and low B12 both need addressing.

I note that the blood test results don't include a full blood count (FBC) - suggest that she asks her GP to do one. This will show if she has either iron deficency or megoblastic anaemia - both of which can occur with folate and B12 deficency - and which will make her feel very ill.

Low ferritin, vitamin D and magnesium can also occur - all of which can again, make you feel very ill. So,worth getting them checked also.

GP may also like to consider causes for low folate/B12. Worth asking for anti-IF antibodies test (for,pernicious anaemia). Particularly if she has a history of autoimmune conditions in her family.

Check out the PAS pinned posts to the right of this page when you log on for more information about diagnosis, treatment and guidelines...it will give your friend information to help her approach her GP for treatment. In particular - see the symptoms checklist and watch for neurological symptoms.

Gp's often - wrongly - reluctant to treat B12 in the grey area - so come back if more help is needed.

Good luck 😀

[03081963 in reply to Foggyme]

Many many thanks foggyme for taking the time to reply in such a comprehensive way ....very much appreciated x😀