Folic acid and folate binding protein in pregnancy.

Abstract

Folic acid and folate binding protein (FABP) concentrations were determined in 208 pregnant women as well as in 50 non-pregnant women. Serum folate levels in pregnant women were significantly lower than those of the non-pregnant group. Anaemic pregnant women also had lower serum folate concentrations than those of the non-anaemic pregnant women. Ninetyeight of 208 (47.1%) pregnant women had serum folate levels of less than 4ng/ml. No significant difference in red cell folate concentration between the pregnant and non-pregnant groups was demonstrated, and only 5 of 206 (2.4%) of pregnant women had red cell folate levels of less than 200ng/ml. Serum FABP levels in preg-nant women were also found to be significantly higher (p<0.001) than those of the non-pregnant women. These levels were also found to be higher in the anaemic pregnant group and in pregnant women with serum folate concentration less than 4ng/ml than those of the non-anaemic pregnant women and pregnant women with serum folate concentration higher than 4ng/ml, respectively. There was a direct relationship between the serum FABP levels and the gestation period. As the period of pregnancy advanced higher serum FABP levels were demonstrated. No correlation between the gravida and the serum FABP levels was found in this study.