Contributed by – Healthians Team

What is the Ferritin test? 

First things first: let’s clear up any misconceptions about ferritin being ‘the same thing as iron’ in our body. It’s not — ferritin is not iron but a blood protein. Ferritin is usually stored in your cells, with a very small amount actually circulating in your blood. It is found in most tissues where it is located inside the cells. Its principal function is to store iron in a soluble, non-toxic form, and transport it to where it is required in a controlled manner.

Ferritin is essential for maintaining a balanced level of iron in the body.  Thus ferritin acts as a buffer against both — iron deficiency and iron overload — in the body.

The total amount of ferritin in the blood provides an accurate reflection of the quantity of the body’s stores of iron. A ferritin test is used as a diagnostic test to figure out iron-deficiency anemia or an iron surplus.

Who should get a Ferritin test?

Your doctor might order a ferritin test to monitor the overall depiction of your iron levels. Doctors can also use it to diagnose or suggest certain conditions like:

  • Iron deficiency anemia
  • Hemochromatosis (too much iron in the body)
  • Liver disease due to alcohol abuse
  • Adult Still’s disease (a rare type of arthritis with fever and rash)

 

Why is the Ferritin test needed?

A ferritin test is needed for the quantitative determination of ferritin concentration in human serum. This is valid for either diagnosing a disorder or monitoring a clinical condition.

 

What does a Ferritin test result mean?

The diagnostic criterion for the ideal level of ferritin is 40-60 nanogram/milliliter (ng/ml), below 20ng/ml is deficiency and above 80ng/ml is iron overload.

Many laboratories consider the normal range for blood ferritin as below:

  • For men,24 to 336 micrograms per liter
  • For women,11 to 307 micrograms per liter
Lower than normal results

This indicates that the body’s iron stores are low and you have an iron deficiency. As a result, you could be anemic. This type of anemia may be due to:

  • Inadequate iron intake
  • Heavy bleeding from an injury
  • Blood loss due to menstruation
  • Malabsorption of iron from food, medicines, or vitamins
  • Bleeding in the esophagus, stomach, or intestines
Higher than normal results

This indicates that you have a condition that causes your body to store too much iron. A large number of chronic diseases display an elevated serum ferritin concentration, diagnosis of which might require additional testing.

  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Liver disease
  • Hemochromatosis
  • Hyperthyroidism
  • Leukemia
  • Hodgkin’s lymphoma
  • Alcohol abuse
  • Taking too many iron supplements
  • Some types of cancer

How is the Ferritin test done? 

A ferritin blood test is a simple way to measure a person’s iron levels.  If ferritin is the only test you’re having, no fasting is required and you can eat and drink as usual. During the ferritin test, a sample of blood is taken by inserting a needle into a vein in your arm. The blood sample is sent to a lab for clinical analysis. You can return to your usual activities immediately.

Know the levels of iron in your body! Get tested