Folate Deficiency: Sensitivity and Specificity

Introduction: None written.

The sensitivity and specificity of findings for Folate Deficiency are listed below. See the left navigation bar to change the display.

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Finding	Sensitivity	Specificity	Comments, Study
Elevated Homocysteine	Sensitivity = 91%		specificity not assessed. False positives may be from: B12 deficiency, B6 deficiency, renal failure, hypovolemia, etc. Study: Arch Intern Med. 1999 Jun 28;159(12):1289-98. PMID: 10386505
Elevated Methylmalonic Acid	Sensitivity = 12%		specificity not assessed. Study: Arch Intern Med. 1999 Jun 28;159(12):1289-98. PMID: 10386505
Low RBC Folate	69%	69%	B12 deficiency can cause artificially low RBC folate levels. Study: Arch Intern Med. 1999 Jun 28;159(12):1289-98. PMID: 10386505
Low Serum Folate	No accuracy specified.		Rather nonspecific. Often elevated in B12 deficiency. Often depressed in alcoholics. Study: Arch Intern Med. 1999 Jun 28;159(12):1289-98. PMID: 10386505