Anemia that is caused by a deficiency of folic acid. It is often occurs along with iron-deficiency anemia

 

Frequent signs and symptoms                                                                                                                  

 

-Fatigue and weakness.
-Red, sore tongue.
-Mouth ulcers.
-Pale skin, gums, eyes, and nailbeds.
-Shortness of breath.
-Irritability.
-Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea (rare).
-Numbness and tingling of fingers and toes

Causes

-Complication of pregnancy. A woman's body needs eight times more folic acid than usual during pregnancy.
-Not enough intake or absorption of foods with a high folic acid content. These include meat, poultry, fish, cheese, milk, eggs, green vegetables, and yeast.
-Excess alcohol use.
-Overcooking foods, which destroys folic acid.
-Deficiency of vitamin B12 or vitamin C.

 

Risk increases with

-Adults over 60.
-Pregnancy.
-Recent surgery.
-Illness such as tropical sprue, psoriasis, acne rosacea, eczema, or dermatitis herpetiformis.
-Fad diets or general poor nutrition.
-Chronic illness.
-Surgical removal of a portion of the stomach.
-Smoking, which decreases vitamin C absorption. Vitamin C is needed for folic acid absorption.
-Use of certain drugs, such as oral contraceptives, anticonvulsants, methotrexate, triamterene, or sulfasalazine.

Preventive measures

-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

 

Diagnosis & treatment

General measures
Your health care provider may do a physical exam. Medical tests may include blood studies, a Schilling test to measure vitamin B12 levels and a trial of taking vitamin B12.
Treatment consists of folic acid supplements and treating any underlying causes.
If you smoke, find a way to quit.
If you take oral contraceptives, consider using another form of contraception.

Diet
No special diet. Eat foods daily that are high in folic acid. The liver can store folic acid for a limited time only. Foods include asparagus spears, beef liver, broccoli spears, collards (cooked), mushrooms, oatmeal, peanut butter, red beans, and wheat germ