Folate Deficiency and Anemia Linked

A recent study found anemia in 85-year-old subjects was associated with folate deficiency and elevated homocysteine levels; however, vitamin B12 deficiency was not associated with it (Arch Intern Med. 2008;168(20):2238-2244).
Data from 423 subjects was analyzed. Folate deficiency (n=34) and elevated homocysteine levels (n=194) were associated with anemia at baseline, but vitamin B12 deficiency (n=68) was not. Furthermore, vitamin B12 deficiency was not associated with the development of anemia during follow-up or with changes in mean corpuscular volume (MCV) (adjusted linear mixed model; P=0.77). Both folate deficiency and elevated homocysteine levels were associated with the development of anemia from age 85 years onward, but not with an increase in MCV over time (P>0.30).