Folate and vitamin B12 (cobalamin) blood levels in elderly persons in geriatric homes.

Significantly lower mean plasma and whole blood folate levels were noted in elderly persons in geriatric homes as compared to mean values of a reference sample group. The vitamin B12 levels of the elderly persons did not differ significantly from the reference values. More elderly, however, had low B12 values when assayed with a specific binder than when assayed with a non-specific binder. This probably means that B12 analogues are more frequently present in elderly persons in geriatric homes than in subjects in the reference sample group. One half of the disabled elderly persons had low B12 and/or low folate levels as compared to only one fifth of the not disabled elderly persons. Hypersegmentation of neutrophils in peripheral blood was observed in elderly persons who had low levels of B12 as well as of both plasma and whole blood folate. Those with normal values of at least one of these variables did not have hypersegmentation more frequently than those with normal B12 and folate values, implying that isolated low values of either B12 or folate is not synonymous with functional deficiency.