Serum Ferritin
Understanding Serum Ferritin
What is Serum Ferritin?
A Serum Ferritin test detects ferritin protein in the blood and helps determine how much iron is stored in your body. This test also helps to detect or monitor diseases such as iron-deficiency anemia, hemochromatosis (iron overload), liver disease, and adult-onset Still’s disease.
Iron is an important nutrient for healthy muscles, bone marrow, and other functions, including brain development in children. The body gets iron from the food and uses it for oxygen distribution. Some part of this iron is stored in the protein ferritin that is concentrated in the liver and immune system cells.
Your doctor may advise a Serum Ferritin when you have symptoms suggestive of low iron levels, such as pale skin, extreme tiredness, weakness, heavy menstrual cycles, bleeding in your digestive tract, blood in your stool, shortness of breath, brittle nails, whooshing sound in your ears, and sudden spinning sensations (vertigo). This test may also help monitor recovery and formulate your treatment plan for iron deficiency or overload. No special preparation is needed for a ferritin test; eat or drink as per your daily routine. However, talk to your doctor about all the pre-test instructions.
Test result ranges are approximate and may differ slightly between different labs depending on the methodology and laboratory guidelines. Talk to your doctor about your specific test results. Narrate your complete medical history to help the doctor correlate your clinical and laboratory findings. The test results will help them determine your medical condition, make recommendations for lifestyle modifications such as diet and exercise, decide whether or not medication will be required to manage your condition, and formulate your overall treatment plan.
What is Serum Ferritin used for?
A Serum Ferritin test can be done:
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To determine iron deficiency or overload in the body.
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To confirm iron-deficiency anemia detected in routine checkups.
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To determine the body’s capacity to store iron.
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To detect or monitor diseases like liver disease, restless leg syndrome, adult-onset Still’s disease, etc.
What does Serum Ferritin measure?
A Serum Ferritin test helps to detect how much iron is stored in your body. Ferritin is a storage protein that can store iron in a soluble or nontoxic form. Your body requires iron to make healthy red blood cells that are responsible for oxygen distribution from the lungs to other parts of the body. Whenever your body requires iron, cells release the required amount of ferritin.
Interpreting Serum Ferritin results
Interpretations
Normal levels:
· Adults:
Males: 20 to 250 ng/mL
Females 18 to 39 years age: 10 to 120 ng/mL
Females over 40 years age: 12 to 263 ng/mL
· Children:
Newborns 25 to 200 ng/mL
Infants 1 month age: 200 to 600 ng/mL
Infants 2 to 5 months age: 50 to 200 ng/mL
Children 6 months to 15 years age: 7 to 140 ng/mL
Ferritin test results are usually interpreted in combination with other iron tests as follows:
Iron |
TIBC |
UIBC |
Transferrin Saturation |
Ferritin |
Condition |
Low |
High |
High |
Low |
Low |
Iron Deficiency |
High |
Low |
Low |
High |
High |
Hemochromatosis, Hemosiderosis |
Low |
Low/Normal |
Low/Normal |
Low/Normal |
High/Normal |
Chronic Illness |
High |
Normal/Low |
Low/Normal |
High |
High |
Hemolytic Anemia |
Normal/High |
Normal/Low |
Low/Normal |
High |
High |
Sideroblastic Anemia |
High |
Normal |
Low |
High |
Normal |
Iron Poisoning |
Higher than normal levels of ferritin in blood is called hyperferritinemia.
Lower than normal levels of ferritin in blood is called hypoferritinemia.