Ferritin is a protein that accumulates iron in your body. When iron gets into the body from foodstuffs or medicines, it is transported to the gut where it is absorbed into the blood. The transport proteins transfer iron to those bodily organs and tissues where it is required. In addition to transporting iron, ferritin is capable of accumulating excess iron (creating storage).

What is anemia?

Anemia is when the hemoglobin level in the blood drops. However, in earlier stages, the iron deficit doesn’t lead to anemia. ===First, the need for iron exceeds consumption, which leads to progressive depletion of iron in bone marrow tissue. When the iron reserves decrease, the body starts to absorb more iron from food. In the later stages, the iron deficit has a negative impact on the synthesis of red blood cells, which, in turn, leads to developing anemia.

Normally, anemia is diagnosed with the help of serum ferritin, which indirectly shows total iron deposits in the human body. A hidden deficit of iron refers to the condition when the results of the general blood tests are within the reference values and there are no signs of anemia — but the level of ferritin is below physiological bodily needs. When this happens to someone, they may complain about having health problems. Therefore, this condition may require medical treatment — even if the hemoglobin level is normal.

Who is at risk?

There are several groups of people whose physiology requires more iron and who are more often diagnosed with an iron deficit. For example, it often affects women beginning at reproductive age and continuing through the entire active period of a woman’s life. This is especially true for women during pregnancy and breastfeeding when the iron is used for growing the uterus, placenta, and fetus. As it is impossible to satisfy these needs with iron sourced from food, the body uses iron deposits. Teenage girls are often in this risk group because of the tendency to diet in the hopes of staying skinny.

Another risk group is young children at the active growth stage. If a child was unable to accumulate enough iron during pregnancy because of the mother’s iron deficiency, he or she would be at risk of developing anemia at the age of 5-6 years old.

Various laboratories use different reference ranges for serum ferritin depending on age and gender. However, a serum ferritin level below 12 mkg/l indicates depletion of iron deposits.

Check your level

Symptoms are not always present during the latent stage of an iron deficit, but this health condition should be managed. It is especially important to know the level of ferritin for women during pregnancy. Ferritin levels within the 30-40 mkg/l range usually require iron supplementation. During pregnancy, the level of ferritin is decreased because of the increased use of iron deposits. The ideal level of ferritin for women is between 25 and 120 mkg/l, and within this level, women feel good, have enough energy, and do not suffer from chronic fatigue.

Ferritin level for women and children:

• Less than 15 mkg/l — iron deficiency
• 15-120 mkg/l — average ferritin level
• More than 150 mkg/l — high ferritin level

In this case, it is advisable to seek the advice of a hematologist and limit iron. This can be a genetic predisposition for iron, inflammatory and oncologic disorders. Ferritin levels are higher in men than in women. Men have bigger muscles, weigh more and have more erythrocytes.

Ferritin level for men:

• Less than 20 mkg/l — iron deficiency
• 20-250 mkg/l — average ferritin level
• More than 250 mkg/l — high ferritin level

In this case, it is advisable to seek the advice of a hematologist and limit iron. This can be a genetic predisposition for accumulating iron, inflammatory and oncologic disorders.

Of course, you shouldn’t forget that the result of any test should be interpreted with the help of a physician. For example, ferritin levels can be higher in cases of inflammatory disorders, making the diagnosis of anemia more difficult. Therefore, ferritin levels should be evaluated along with other medical test results.

23 March 2021