Evaluation of folic acid level in children with it's intestinal flora disorders

ABSTRACT EVALUATION OF FOLIC ACID LEVEL IN CHILDREN WITH IT'S INTESTINAL FLORA DISORDERS Intestinal microbiota; It is described as an acquired organ consisting of various microorganisms that can affect both systemic and intestinal physiology. Hundreds of years ago, Hippocrates emphasized the importance of gut microbiota with his saying "All diseases begin in the gut". Intestinal microbiota is very important for maintaining normal health. Folic acid cannot be synthesized in human cells. It is derived from food and the gut microbiota. There are a limited number of studies showing the relationship of folic acid, which can be synthesized and absorbed by the intestinal microbiota, with the intestinal microbiota. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate whether folic acid level is an indicator of intestinal flora disorder. Sixty children admitted with gastroenteritis and 60 healthy children as the control group were included in the study. From all cases; Folic acid, B12 and homocysteine levels were obtained retrospectively from patient files. Data were evaluated using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.0. We found a higher folic acid value in the case group than in the control group. Again, we found the folic acid value in the group above 2 years of age in the case group to be lower than in the group aged 2 years and younger. We found that folic acid level decreased with increasing age. In addition, the white blood cell count was higher in the case group than in the control group; We found lower hemoglobin, hematocrit and MCV values. As a result, folic acid levels were statistically higher in the case group than in the control group. We believe that this may be an indicator of intestinal dysbiosis. In addition to maintaining a normal health status, it is vital to protect the intestinal flora because it affects hemogram parameters, folic acid, B12 and homocysteine levels. Keywords: Intestinal flora, folic acid, microbiota