12th Congress of the European Hematology ... - Haematologica

12 th Congress of the European Hematology Association
1164
COMPARISON BETWEEN SERUM AND ERYTHROCYTE FOLATE IN PATIENTS WITH ANEMIA
AND/OR MACROCYTOSIS
S. de la Iglesia, P. Martin, G. Garcia, J. López, H. Luzardo, A. Lemes,
M. Perera, C. Rodriguez, T. Molero
Hospital Negrin, LAS PALMAS DE G.C., Spain
Background. The determination of folic acid (FA) is very important in
the diagnosis of megaloblalstic anemias due to the lack of this nutrient
in patients with anemia and/or macrocytosis. Detection of erythrocyte
folate (EF) is even more relevant because it is a more reliable value of
body FA reserves than serum folate (SF), due to the fact that this nutrient
can not pass through the erythrocyte membrane. Furthermore, its
value is not affected by common clinical situations such as chronic liver
or kidney impairment, or even cobalamin (B12) deficiency. Aim. The
aim of this study was to determine whether discrepancies between
both determinations exist in our patients, and if according to these findings,
EF determination should still be carried out. Materials and Methods.
Values of EF and SF petitioned in our laboratory were compared
during the last three months (a total of 100 patients with anemia and/or
macrocytosis) focusing on whether discrepancies in both determinations
were observed. In these cases, possible causes for this difference
were analyzed. Samples were analyzed by an external laboratory
through radioimmunoanalysis (RIA) in both determinations. Results.
Discrepancies, understood as a normal SF value (2.2-17 ng/mL) together
with a low EF value (