Ferritin
Ferritin is a protein that takes on a very central role in iron storage, and ferritin levels in your body give you very vital information regarding your general health, especially concerning iron metabolism.
This article will describe why ferritin is crucial, what role a ferritin blood test plays in diagnosing numerous conditions, and what it means to have low or high ferritin levels in your body.
Ferritin: What is it?
Ferritin is the protein in your body that stores iron and helps to control how much iron you have on hand.
It acts as a reservoir and holds iron in wait until the body needs it to make healthy red blood cells, which are able to carry oxygen into tissues. In the case of insufficient iron, these cells work poorly and bring about conditions, for example, iron deficiency anemia.
Role of Iron in the Body
In your body, iron is a must-have nutrient with a main function of producing hemoglobin, which is the part of the red blood cell carrying oxygen.
In the absence of sufficient iron, the body cannot produce sufficient healthy red blood cells; this often manifests into conditions such as iron deficiency anemia.
In contrast, excess iron in the body leads to a condition referred to as iron overload, where tissues and organs are broken down by superfluous storage of iron.
Ferritin is the storage protein of iron, the one that regulates the amount of iron present within the body.
If the body needs to utilize iron for oxygen transport and energy production, then ferritin will make that iron available in the bloodstream.
About Ferritin Blood Tests
The test measures the ferritin present in your blood, which is directly proportional to the quantity of iron stored in your body.
Thus, when your doctor orders a ferritin test, it is usually for evaluating the level of iron available in the body and making the necessary diagnose for the conditions of iron deficiency or iron overload.
This test is quite useful in diagnosing whether you have too little or too much iron in your body.
Low levels of ferritin might point out that you are suffering from an iron deficiency, whereas high ferritin levels suggest an over-storage of iron in your body, and it can cause an overload of iron.
Why You May Need a Ferritin Test
If you happen to have symptoms related to diseases such as iron deficiency anemia or iron overload, your doctor may recommend ferritin testing.
The most common symptoms include fatigue, weak body, pale skin, and breathlessness. Other symptoms that could be associated with high levels of ferritin are joint pain and abdominal discomfort, meaning too much iron in the body.
Ferritin blood tests further assist in the diagnosis of other disorders, including chronic diseases of the liver and inflammatory conditions, through ferritin raised in non- disproportional increments to the iron.
How to Prepare for Your Ferritin Blood Test
Typically, preparation for a ferritin blood test is minimal. You may be required to fast for a few hours before the test takes place.
Your doctor or healthcare provider will provide you with detailed instructions on what to do if you are preparing for a ferritin test based on your medical history and any other tests you are undergoing at the same time.
The ferritin test simply measures the level of ferritin in your blood, which represents stored iron in your body.
That is, it would help determine whether your ferritin is normal or low or elevated, and that would guide treatment for an iron-related disorder.
Ferritin Test Results: What Do They Mean?
Ferritin test: It measures the amount of iron stored in your body. These results are usually given in ng/mL.
As per the health condition, age and gender, normal ferritin varies. From 24 to 336 ng/mL, the normal ferritin level occurs in adult men and from 11 to 307 ng/mL, for adult women.
Low Ferritin Levels
Low levels of ferritin indicate a low level of iron. A ferritin value on the lower side may point to an iron deficiency, thus showing the deficiency of stored iron in the body.
For example, if you have been tested to have a ferritin value on the lower side, it simply means that you lack sufficient iron to form red blood cells hence experiencing conditions such as dizziness, weakness, and lack of energy.
Low levels of ferritin in your blood may be caused by low consumption of iron, heavy bleeding, or any other conditions that will impair your body's ability to absorb iron, such as celiac disease and other gastrointestinal disorders.
High Ferritin Levels
An elevated ferritin level in your body may indicate excessive iron storage within your body. Such a surplus of iron above the normal limits leads to what is known as iron overload, one symptom of which may be the damage of organs.
These can include damage to the liver, heart, or pancreas. In addition to these examples, there are many other causes for increased ferritin that are not related to iron overload, such as chronic inflammation, chronic liver diseases, or certain cancers.
Usually, your doctor would perform further tests to know the cause of your elevated ferritin.
The treatment of high ferritin usually entails managing the condition responsible for excess iron in your body, and sometimes, a procedure called therapeutic phlebotomy or removal of blood from your body is recommended to lower your iron level.
Ferritin Levels and Iron Deficiency Anemia Link
It is a case of iron deficiency anemia if one's body does not retain adequate amounts of iron to produce red blood cells. Since the protein that holds the iron is ferritin, low ferritin levels are often early signs of this condition.
A ferritin test indicates the amount of iron stored in your body, with a doctor enabling diagnosis of iron deficiency before it reaches its full-blown manifestations as anemia.
Other Conditions That Present Significant Correlations with Ferritin Levels
Ferritin levels are also influenced by multiple conditions. For example, inflammatory conditions, infections, or diseases related to the liver can also cause ferritin levels to be seen elevated even though their iron is normal because ferritin is also an acute-phase reactant, a condition where its level increases during inflammation or stress in the body.
On the other hand, low ferritin levels are a pretty good marker of iron deficiency, but may also be seen in conditions such as hypothyroidism, malabsorption syndromes, and chronic blood loss.
Therefore, in this respect, the ferritin test is often only part of more definitive investigations into your iron levels and the general health of your body.
Monitoring and Managing Your Ferritin Levels
The most important aspect of regular checking of ferritin levels is to ensure proper treatment of disorders associated with the rise in iron levels.
Your health care provider will update you on the appropriate form of treatment if your ferritin level is abnormal.
This would include diet changes, iron supplementations, or detoxification treatments of excess iron in the body if there is a high level of ferritin in the body.
If ferritin is low, then eating more iron or taking iron supplements is usually the first course of action.
Foods that are high in iron, such as red meat, green leafy vegetables, and fortified cereals, should be consumed to increase ferritin levels.
Hyper ferritinemia requires strict reduction of iron intake, which may mean avoidance of iron supplements and possibly other medical interventions to drain excess iron from the body.
For others, a correction of the underlying pathologies causing ferritin to be elevated might be necessary to normalize the levels of ferritin.
Ferritin and Health
Ferritin is very crucial in the regulation of the amount of iron within the body. Being the protein that stores iron, ferritin regulates the supplies of iron and maintains that once there is a need to produce red blood cells, the necessary iron is available for its critical functions.
It may be very useful to know your ferritin levels through a ferritin test as you get the important information of your overall health.
Whether you are experiencing low ferritin levels that indicate iron deficiency or have high ferritin levels suggesting an overload of iron, then the ferritin monitoring is crucial in determining the cases about iron and their management.
A blood ferritin test is considered one of the most important diagnostic tools in determining the iron level in your body and detecting whether you suffer from iron deficiency anemia or iron overload.
If the range falls within the lower or higher range, understanding and managing your iron storage can allow you to prevent serious health issues and also enhance your overall well-being to ensure your body functions properly.
For example, if a patient complains of weakness or is perceived to be anemic, the physician might use the ferritin test. This will determine the amount of iron in the body, and the results will enable the proper diagnosis and treatment.
Conclusion
In summary, levels of ferritin can give an insight into how iron is metabolized in the body. This fact has made ferritin a decisive marker to prevent and manage conditions both by too little and too much iron in the body.
Understanding your ferritin test result whether it's low ferritin, normal ferritin, or high ferritin is important in preventing unbalanced levels of iron in your body.
* Medical Disclaimer - The following information is for educational purposes only. No information provided on this website, including text, graphic, and images, are intended as substitutes for professional medical advice. Please consult with your doctor about specific medical advice pertaining to your condition(s).
