Neurology Minute

Dr. Stacey Clardy discusses methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) in this lab minute.   Show transcript:  Dr. Stacey Clardy: Hi, this is Stacey Clardy from the Salt Lake City VA in the University of Utah. Let's do a lab minute today on MTHFR. This one just simply will not go away. This is one of those topics where a huge amount of patient anxiety is inversely proportional to the utility of a test. So MTHFR is methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase. It's the enzyme that helps generate five methyltetrahydrofolates supporting remethylation of homocysteine to methionine. That biochemistry does matter because the clinical leap that often follows is the problem. So the common polymorphisms of MTHFR are C677T and A1298C. They are widespread in the general population. A recurring misunderstanding is that ordering MTHFR genotyping in a thrombophilia evaluation or as a catchall explanation for you name it, migraines, neuropathy, psychiatric symptoms, nondescript inflammation, is going to give you the answer. The bes