FOLATE RECEPTOR ANTI-AUTOANTIBODIES (FRAAS): DAMAGING EFFECTS IN DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS, WAYS TO OVERCOME

KONSTANTINE KHARABADZE; DAVID KOBESHAVIDZE

doi:10.52340/jecm.2025.06.03

FOLATE RECEPTOR ANTI-AUTOANTIBODIES (FRAAS): DAMAGING EFFECTS IN DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS, WAYS TO OVERCOME

Authors

KONSTANTINE KHARABADZE Tbilisi State Medical University
DAVID KOBESHAVIDZE LLC “Imedi Clinic”, Tbilisi, Georgia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.52340/jecm.2025.06.03

Keywords:

folate, receptor, autoantibodies, FRAAs

Abstract

Folate Receptor Autoantibodies (FRAAs) are antibodies produced by the body’s immune system that are directed against its own folate receptors. These receptors are responsible for transporting folate into cells, including those in the brain and placenta. FRAAs interfere with the normal absorption of folate, causing a functional folate deficiency even when folate supplementation is adequate and blood folate levels appear normal.

This article reviews several aspects of FRAAs, including their causal factors, characteristics across different age groups, associations with other autoimmune diseases, and their impact on gestational and perinatal outcomes. It also discusses pathologies that may raise suspicion for FRAAs, laboratory methods for diagnosis, and treatment strategies, including the indications for using folic acid and folinic acid.

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