| Basic Information |
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| Description |
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Anemia that is caused by a deficiency of folic acid. It is often
accompanied by iron-deficiency anemia.
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| Frequent Signs and Symptoms |
- Fatigue and weakness.
- Red, sore tongue.
- Paleness.
- Shortness of breath.
- Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea (rare).
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| Causes |
- Complication of pregnancy, when the body needs 8 times more folic acid than usual.
Inadequate intake or absorption of foods with a high folic acid content, such as meat, poultry, fish, cheese, milk, eggs, green vegetables, yeast and mushrooms.
- Alcoholism.
- Overcooking foods, which destroys folic acid.
- Deficiency of vitamin B-12 or vitamin C.
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| Risk Increases With |
- Adults over 60, especially those who have poor nutrition.
- Pregnancy.
- Illness, such as tropical sprue, psoriasis, acne rosacea, eczema or dermatitis herpetiformis.
- Fad diets or general poor nutrition, especially vitamin C deficiency.
- Surgical removal of the stomach.
- Smoking, which decreases vitamin C absorption. Vitamin C is necessary for folic acid absorption.
- Use of certain drugs, such as oral contraceptives, anticonvulsants, methotrexate, triamterene or sulfasalazine.
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| Preventive Measure |
- Don't drink alcohol.
- Have regular medical checkups during pregnancy. Take
prenatal vitamin supplements, if they are prescribed.
- Eat well. Include fresh vegetables, meat and other
animal proteins. Avoid fad diets. Don't overcook food.
- Don't smoke. Smoking increases vitamin requirements.
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| Expected Outcome |
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Usually curable in 3 weeks with an adequate folic acid intake
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| Possible Complications |
- Infertility.
- Increased susceptibility to infection.
- Congestive heart failure (severe cases only).
- Folic acid deficiency can also increase the risk for
conceiving a child with a neural tube defect.
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| Treatment/Post Procedure Care |
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| General Measures |
- Diagnostic tests may include laboratory blood studies, a
Schilling test to measure vitamin B-12 levels and a therapeutic trial of vitamin B-12.
- Treatment consists of folic acid supplements and elimination of contributing causes.
- If you smoke, stop smoking.
- If you take oral contraceptives, consider using another form of contraception.
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| Medication |
- Folic acid supplements.
- Iron supplements to take orally.
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| Activity |
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Anemia does cause fatigue. Schedule regular rest periods until
you are able to resume normal activity.
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| Diet |
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Anemia does cause fatigue. Schedule regular rest periods until
you are able to resume normal activity.
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| Notify Your Healthcare Provider If |
- You or a family member has symptoms of anemia.
- Symptoms don't improve in 2 weeks, despite treatment.
- Symptoms of infection (fever, chills and muscle aches)
occur during treatment.
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