Abstract
Two females without obvious symptoms of small intestinal disease presented with severe folate-deficiency anemia, initially attributed to oral contraceptive medication. Folate deficiency, however, developed again after the oral contraceptive had been discontinued. One patient was found to have subclinical idiopathic sprue and the other regional enteritis. In view of this experience it is suggested that patients who develop folate deficiency anemia while taking oral contraceptives be carefully investigated regarding dietary habits, drug therapy, and the presence of unsuspected small bowell disease.
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Supported in part by a grant (5-MO-1-FR-00058) from the General Clinical Research Center Program of the Division of Research Resources, and by a research grant (I-R01-AM12985) from the National Institutes of Arthritis and Metabolic Diseases, National Institutes of Health.
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Kenneth Johnson, G., Geenen, J.E., Hensley, G.T. et al. Small intestinal disease, folate deficiency anemia, and oral contraceptive agents. Digest Dis Sci 18, 185–190 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01071971
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01071971