doctor is finally listening and is doing homeosystene and methormatic tests to see the true level of b12 in my body.

[bluetit42]

new to this group and have b12 level 365 and folic 2.5. feeling so il for many years and getting worse. my gp finally listened to me after half an hour of blood sweat and tears. are the above tests any good so i can move on wether i have a b12 problem or not thanks in advance

[clivealive Forum Support]

The MMA test. Methylmalonic acid is a chemical used up in one of the cellular reactions mediated by B12. If there's not enough B12 in the cell then MMA levels will rise. If they're not high then it means your cellular levels of B12 are OK. High levels of plasma MMA (>0.75umol/L0 almost invariably indicate cobamalin deficiency.

[fbirder in reply to clivealive]

Actually, high MMA doesn't invariably mean a B12 deficiency. It can be high due to other problems, notably kidney disease. So hig MMA should be followed up with a kidney function test. If that's OK then B12 is the likely cause.

However, I would ask for B12 treatment to start while waiting for the kidney function results.

[Gambit62 Administrator]

homocysteine is like MMA - will be raised if your cells don't have enough B12 but can also be raised by other factors - such as a folate deficiency

Basically both of the tests MMA are indicators but need to be taken viewed in a context that includes ruling out other reasons why they could be raised.

[bluetit42]

my folate is 2.5 very low. wondering if thats the reason why i have symptoms. maybe the b12 is fine but i feel dreadful. the blood letter lol was making me laugh he had this rather large looking beaker. i asked what it was for and he said he has to fill it with my blood sample. i nearly passed out. he was in stitches. its full of ice to keep the blood cool

[Gambit62 Administrator in reply to bluetit42]

symptoms of folate deficiency tend to come on very quickly. B12 deficiency comes on much slower - years or even decades. Seems more likely to be a B12 absorption problem like PA that is now also affecting absorption of folate

[KimberinUS]

Yes that folate level is low. Additionally all b vitamins work together so a good mulitvitamin is in order even if your b12 level turns out to be fine because that folate level is poor

[bluetit42]

thanks for your comments. be interesting what my blood results are