Hematology/Haematology - Anemia/Anaemia: Folate and B12 Deficiency
Nutrition Care Process (Toolkits)
Last Updated: 2020-09-15
Target Group: All Adults, All children(0-12 yr.), Youth(13-17 yr.)
Key Nutrition Issues
Description and Key Nutrition issues
Anemia is characterized by reductions in hemoglobin and/or circulating red blood cell (RBC) mass to below cut-offs specific to age and gender (1). Anemia is generally a sign of a problem as opposed to a disease on its own, so it is important to identify the underlying cause.
Anemia is generally classified into three categories: microcytic, normocytic and macrocytic (1). Deficiency of folate and vitamin B12 can lead to macrocytic anemia as they are both