Iron in red blood cells is used by your body to transport oxygen to all of its cells.Your red blood cells will be unable to give adequate oxygen if you do not have enough iron. Too much iron, on the other hand, is harmful to your health. Iron levels that are both high and low may suggest a major underlying condition.
A ferritin test may be ordered if your doctor feels you have an iron deficit or an iron overload. This determines the quantity of iron stored in your body and provides your doctor with an overall picture of your iron levels.
WHAT SPECIFICALLY IS FERRITIN?
Ferritin is not the same as iron in the body. Ferritin, on the other hand, is a protein that stores iron and releases it when your body requires it. Ferritin is typically found in your body's cells, with relatively little circulating in your blood.
Ferritin concentrations are normally highest in liver cells (known as hepatocytes) and the immune system (known as reticuloendothelial cells).
Ferritin is stored in the cells of the body until it is time to generate new red blood cells. The body will send a signal to the cells, causing them to release ferritin. The ferritin then links to a different molecule known as transferrin.
Transferrin is a protein that binds to ferritin and transports it to the site of red blood cell formation. Consider transferrin to be a dedicated transportation for iron.
While maintaining appropriate iron levels is crucial, having enough stored iron is also important. Iron stores can quickly diminish if a person does not have adequate ferritin.
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A FERRITIN TEST?
Knowing if you have too much or too little ferritin in your blood might provide your doctor with information about your total iron levels. The more ferritin in your blood, the more iron your body has stored.
Low ferritin levels
If you have any of the following symptoms associated with low ferritin levels, your doctor may recommend a ferritin test for you:
- Restlessness
- Pain in the legs
- Shortness of breath
- Persistent headaches
- Unexplainable weakness
- Unexplainable tiredness
- Ringing in ears
- Dizziness
High ferritin levels
You can also have extremely high ferritin levels, which might result in unpleasant symptoms. Excess ferritin symptoms include:
- Stomach ache
- Unexplainable weakness
- Unexplainable tiredness
- Chest pain
- Joint pain
Ferritin levels can also rise as a result of organ damage, such as damage to the liver and spleen.
The test can also be used to track your overall health, especially if you have an iron-related illness that causes too much or too little iron in your blood.
WHAT CAUSES LOW FERRITIN LEVELS?
A ferritin level that is lower than normal can suggest that you have an iron deficiency, which can occur when you do not take enough iron in your daily diet.
Anemia, which occurs when there aren't enough red blood cells for iron to adhere to, is another disorder that affects iron levels.
Other conditions include:
- Internal bleeding
- Menstruation bleeding that is excessive
- Gastric problems that interfere with intestinal absorption
Knowing whether your ferritin levels are low or normal can assist your doctor in determining the cause.
A person suffering from anemia, for example, will have low ferritin levels as well as low blood iron levels.
A person with a chronic condition, on the other hand, may have low blood iron levels but normal or high ferritin levels.
WHAT CAUSES HIGH FERRITIN LEVELS?
Excessive ferritin levels can suggest a variety of diseases.
One example is hemochromatosis, which occurs when your body absorbs an excessive amount of iron.
High iron levels can also be caused by the following conditions:
- Restless leg syndrome
- Liver disease like hepatitis C
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Hyperthyroidism
- Adult-onset Still’s disease
- Diabetes type 2
- Leukemia
- Hodgkins's lymphoma
- Iron poisoning
- Constant blood transfusion
Ferritin is a type of acute phase reactant. This indicates that when the body is inflammatory, ferritin levels rise. As a result, ferritin levels can be elevated in persons with liver illness or cancers such as Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Ferritin, for example, is accumulated in liver cells. When a person's liver is injured, ferritin begins to leak out of the cells. Ferritin levels in persons with these and other inflammatory disorders should be higher than normal, according to doctors.
Obesity, inflammation, and excessive alcohol consumption are the most common reasons of increased ferritin levels. The disorder hemochromatosis is one of the most common causes of genetically associated high ferritin levels.
If your ferritin test results are high, your doctor will most likely request other tests to provide more information about your body's iron levels. Among these tests are:
- an iron test, which determines the quantity of iron in your body
- a total iron binding capacity (TIBC) test to determine the amount of transferrin in the body
HOW IS THE FERRITIN TEST CARRIED OUT?
The ferritin test uses only a small amount of blood to accurately detect your ferritin levels.
In rare cases, your doctor may instruct you not to eat for at least 12 hours prior to having your blood collected. The American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) states that the test is more accurate when administered in the morning after you haven't eaten for a while.
To make your veins more apparent, a healthcare expert may wrap a band around your arm. The provider puts a tiny needle into your vein to acquire a sample after cleaning your skin with an antiseptic swab. After that, the sample is transported to a laboratory for analysis.
There should be no need for you to take any particular measures before the blood test.
UNDERSTANDING THE RESULTS OF YOUR FERRITIN BLOOD TEST
The results of your ferritin blood test are first analyzed to check if your levels are within normal ranges. The normal ranges, according to the Mayo Clinic, are:
- In men, the concentration ranges from 20 to 500 nanograms per milliliter.
- Women's levels range from 20 to 200 nanograms per milliliter.
It should be noted that not all laboratories produce the same ferritin levels in the blood. These are standard ranges, but individual laboratories may give different results. When deciding whether your ferritin levels are normal, high, or low, always ask your doctor for the normal range for the specific lab.
FERRITIN BLOOD TEST SIDE EFFECTS
A ferritin blood test has no major adverse effects because it just requires a little sample of blood. However, if you have a bleeding disorder or bruise easily, consult your doctor.
You should expect some discomfort while having your blood drawn. Rare side effects of the test include:
- Bruising
- Infection
- Feeling dizzy or light-headed
- Excessive bleeding
CONCLUSION
Always notify your medical physician if you are experiencing discomfort that appears to be out of the ordinary.
