title: Folic acid calls to poison centers in Texas, 1998-2003.
abstract: Folic acid (folacin, pteroylglutamic acid) is a monoglutamate form of the water-soluble B vitamin that is involved in the synthesis of nucleotides and amino acids and the normal maturation of red blood cells. This study describes the folic acid calls received by Texas poison centers during 1998-2003. There were 650 calls involving folic acid as a single-ingredient product, of which 55.1% were human exposures. Children age <6 years accounted for 80.1% of the human exposures. Patients were managed outside of the health care facilities in 92.1% of the cases. Of those cases with a known medical outcome, 94.8% had no clinical effects. This study found folic acid exposures reported to poison centers were unlikely to have more than minor adverse affects.
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology and Surveillance Disease Unit, Texas Department of State Health Services, 1100 W 49th Street, Austin, TX 78756, USA. mathias.forrester@dshs.state.tx.us
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Forrester
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000506:poisoning*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011039:Poison Control Centers; D013781:Texas
chemical_list: D005492:Folic Acid