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Warning-sign checks

Folate deficiency: when to get help

Go through these in order and stop at the first one that applies. If you are reading this for someone else, answer for them.

  1. 1

    Is any of this happening now?

    Call 911

    Seek urgent or emergency help for:

    • Severe difficulty breathing or breathlessness at rest
    • Chest pain
    • Fainting or near-fainting
    • A very fast heartbeat with weakness or dizziness
    • New confusion or severe difficulty staying awake
    Other emergency signs, for anyone
    • Someone who is struggling to breathe, gasping, choking, or cannot get words out
    • Someone who has chest pain, tightness or pressure lasting more than a few minutes
    • Someone who has sudden weakness or drooping on one side of the face or body, slurred speech, or sudden confusion
    • Someone who is unconscious, or cannot be woken
    • Someone who is bleeding heavily and it will not stop with firm pressure
    • Someone who has had a seizure that will not stop, or does not wake up afterwards
    • Someone who has lips or skin that look pale, blue, grey or blotchy
    • Someone who you believe has taken an overdose or swallowed something poisonous
  2. 2

    Is any of this happening?

    Be seen today

    Seek prompt medical advice if you are pregnant or planning pregnancy and think you may be folate deficient.

    Also request timely assessment for numbness, pins and needles, problems with balance, confusion, or memory changes because these can suggest vitamin B12 deficiency or another neurological condition.

    These symptoms do not automatically mean folate deficiency, but they can occur with severe anaemia or another condition needing urgent assessment.

  3. 3

    Does any of this apply?

    Book an appointment

    Arrange a routine appointment if you have persistent tiredness, unexplained weakness, a sore tongue, repeated mouth ulcers, or breathlessness during activities that were previously comfortable.

    Assessment is also appropriate if you have risk factors such as coeliac disease, bowel surgery, heavy alcohol use, a restricted diet, or a medicine that affects folate.

Every sign above is quoted from the sofidex article on Folate deficiency. If you are not sure, err upward — it is always reasonable to be checked.