This is an intermediary biomarker that is used to calculate Folate, RBC. There is no reference range provided by the laboratory, hence please refer to the actual "Folate, RBC" marker instead.
A hemolysate is a product resulting from hemolysis which is defined as the liberation or separation of the hemoglobin from the red blood corpuscles and its appearance in the fluid in which the corpuscles are suspended. Hemoglobin is the protein molecule in red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to the body's tissues and returns carbon dioxide from the tissues back to the lungs.
The Folate RBC result is obtained using a hemolysate prepared from whole blood. The Folate RBC result includes folate present in the RBCs and in the plasma. In order to obtain the folate concentration only in the RBCs, both specimens are required and a calculation is performed using results from both assays to obtain a corrected RBC Folate result.
Hemolysate is prepared first which is then treated with freshly prepared ascorbate solution. The resulting hemolysate is assayed and the result is calculated using the given formula:
RBC Folate = Hemolysate folate X 2100/hematocrit (%)
What is folate?
Folate is a water-soluble vitamin essential for cell growth and division.
What is RBC folate?
- RBC folate provides information about folate status over the lifetime of RBCs, similar to hemoglobin A1C as used in blood glucose monitoring. Approximately 5% of people with normal serum folate levels may have evidence of folate deficiency if analyzed using RBC folate testing.
- RBC folate determination is obtained by measuring the folate concentration in a whole blood (WB) hemolysate solution and dividing it by the patient’s hematocrit (hematocrit = the ratio of the volume of red blood cells to the total volume of blood).
-------------------------------
The measurement of folate in red blood cells (RBCs) is preferred since it reflects long-term folate status in the body compared to plasma/serum folate which may be influenced by recent dietary intake. The commonly accepted technique for RBC folate analysis involves preparation of a hemolysate using a fresh whole blood sample.
Hematocrit and plasma folate concentrations are needed to calculate RBC folate values.
Folate is essential for normal metabolism, DNA synthesis and red blood cell regeneration. Untreated deficiencies may lead to megaloblastic anemia. For diagnosis of folate deficiency, it is recommended to perform determinations not only in serum but also in erythrocytes. More than 95 % of folate occurs in the red blood cells. The folate concentration in erythrocytes more truly reflects the overall folate concentration in the tissue while the serum or plasma level reflects the preceding uptake of folates from the food and fluctuates significantly with the diet. Following dietary deprivation of folate, serum levels decline within 3 weeks, but RBC folate levels remain the same for 3–4 months. Therefore, the Folate RBC assay is used as an aid in the diagnosis of folate deficiency in erythrocytes.
References:
- https://academic.oup.com/ajcp/article/149/suppl_1/S187/4801705
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1770141/
Understand and improve your laboratory results with our health dashboard.
Upload your lab reports and get your interpretation today.
Our technology helps to understand, combine, track, organize, and act on your medical lab test results.
Interpret Your Lab Results
Upload your lab report, and we'll interpret and provide you with recommendations today.
Get StartedMonthly plan
Annual plan
Own it for life
Our exclusive data entry service is a convenient way to get your results into your private dashboard. Simply attach an image or a file of your lab test results, and one of our qualified data entry team members will add the results for you. We support all sorts of files, whether PDFs, JPGs, or Excel. This service is excellent whether you have a lot of reports to upload or are too busy to do the data entry yourself.
We strive to make the data entry process easy for you. Whether by offering dozens of templates to choose from that pre-populate the most popular laboratory panels or by giving you instant feedback on the entered values. Our data entry forms are an easy, fast, and convenient way to enter the reports yourself. There is no limit on how many lab reports you can upload.
$15 /month
billed every month
Most popular
Data entry included
$79 /year
$6.60/month billed annually
Data entry included
$250 /once
own it for life
Are You a Health Professional?
Get started with our professional plan
Welcome to Healthmatters Pro.
Save time on interpreting lab results with the largest database of biomarkers online. In-depth research on any test at your fingertips, all stored and tracked in one place. Learn more
Pro Monthly Plus
for health professionals
$75 per month
At HealthMatters, we're committed to maintaining the security and confidentiality of your personal information. We've put industry-leading security standards in place to help protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of the information under our control. We use procedural, physical, and electronic security methods designed to prevent unauthorized people from getting access to this information. Our internal code of conduct adds additional privacy protection. All data is backed up multiple times a day and encrypted using SSL certificates. See our Privacy Policy for more details.
ACE, Serum, Acetone, Blood, Activated Protein C Resistance, Ammonia, Plasma, ANA by IFA Rfx Titer/Pattern, ANA Direct, ANA Pattern, Androstenedione LCMS, Anti GAD 65 Antibodies, Anti-DNase B Strep Antibodies, Anti-histone Abs, Anti-intermyofibrillar, Anti-sarcolemma, Antiadrenal Antibodies, Quant, Antinuclear Antibodies, IFA, Antistreptolysin O Ab, B-Type Natriuretic Peptide, Babesia duncani WA1 IgG IFA, C difficile Toxins A+B, EIA, Carbon Monoxide, Blood, Cold Agglutinin Titer, Quant, Copper, RBC, Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), Ethanol, Blood, F078-IgG Casein, F079-IgG Gluten, F2-Isoprostane/Creatinine, Fats, Neutral, Fats, Total, Folate, Hemolysate, Folate, RBC, G-6-PD, Quant, G6PD, Galectin-3, Hexagonal Phospholipid Neutral, Histamine Determination, Blood, Immune Complexes, C1q Binding, Interleukin-8, Serum, Isopropanol, Blood, K080-IgE Formaldehyde, Lactic Acid, Plasma, M-Spike, Manganese, Plasma, Manganese, RBC, Melanocyte-stimulating Hormone (MSH), Methanol, Blood, Mono Qual W/Rflx Qn, Neopterin, Serum, NT-proBNP, Platelet Neutralization, Propeptide Type I Collagen, Protein C-Functional, RNP Antibodies, Rubella Antibodies, IgG, Serotonin, Serum, Sirolimus (Rapamune), Blood, Strongyloides IgG Antibody, Testost., F+W Bound, Thyroxine Binding Globulin, Toxoplasma gondii Ab, IgG, Treponema pallidum Antibodies, Valproic Acid (Depakote), Serum, Varicella Zoster IgG, Vasoactive Intestinal Polypeptide (VIP), Plasma, Zinc Protoporphyrin (ZPP), ZnT8 Antibodies