title: Folate concentration in Chinese psychiatric outpatients on long-term lithium treatment.
abstract: Among 46 Chinese and mostly manic-depressive (85%) outpatients attending a lithium clinic in Hong Kong, virtually no patients had low serum (0%) or erythrocyte (2%) folate. Their mean folate levels did not differ from lithium-free outpatients. Although serum folate correlated negatively with lithium dose (P less than 0.002) and serum level (P less than 0.01), lithium treatment probably did not by itself cause low folate. Folate level was not related to diagnosis, duration of mental illness, other drug usage or spot affective morbidity. Patients with a good response to lithium in the previous one year had a higher mean serum folate level than those with unsatisfactory response (P less than 0.05). These data suggest that folate deficiency is uncommon among Chinese psychiatric outpatients, but support recent evidence that folate at high concentrations enhances lithium prophylaxis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chow
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Shek
authors.forename: Y K
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Wing
authors.forename: C N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000553:Ambulatory Care; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000097:blood*; D005494:Folic Acid Deficiency / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology; D006723:Hong Kong / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008094:Lithium / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008134:Long-Term Care; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008605:Mental Health Services
chemical_list: D005492:Folic Acid; D008094:Lithium