Advice please?

[knackersyard]

Hi

61 year old male in UK. Had a blood test a couple of years ago, which revealed elevated Iron. Not sure of the number. Just had another test which revealed. :

Serum Iron level = 28.2 umol/L (11.6 - 31.3 umol/L)

Serum Ferritin = 157 ug/L (22.00 - 322.00 ug/L)

Got a long list of other results. Is anything else related to this?

Should I be concerned?

Thanks

[JigFettler]

Both numbers are in normal range. Not clear what's elevated.

Why was iron / ferritin level checked in the first place?

Jig

[knackersyard in reply to JigFettler]

Strange comment.

If all results “in normal range” were good news, this forum wouldn’t exist. Or the many Thyroid forums.

[radd in reply to knackersyard]

knackersyard,

Welcome to our forum,

There aren’t many/any? members on here with in-range results because only over-range denotes iron overload.

You can not compare a hormone with a mineral. Iron has to be converted from insoluble ferric to absorbable ferrous ions with the help of gastric acid, etc but its basis is not comparable to thyroid hormones that not only require T4 to T3 conversion but a distinct ratio which is controlled by the deiodinase enzymes that switch on & off thyroid hormone activation.

Your results are good news as are within range but for full assessment and to eliminate any form of aenemia you would require a full iron panel & FBC. What made you think you had haemochromatosis?

[knackersyard in reply to radd]

Thanks Radd

Well raised iron came up on a blood test a year or so ago. I just did another test & it’s highlighted again with a note that the GP wants to have a call. So I googled & came up with Haemochromatosis….

Having read about Haemochromatosis, I really hope I’m not going down that road & I have total sympathy for you guys.

I do have some anaemia issues, although that’s not clear. I did a Medichecks test at the same time as some tests from my GP. Same blood draw at my local hospital, but they show quite different results…

Medichecks

[knackersyard in reply to knackersyard]

NHS results p1

NHS results p1

[knackersyard in reply to knackersyard]

NHS results p2

NHS results p2

[radd in reply to knackersyard]

knackersyard,

Classic haemochromatosis results are elevated ferritin & T/S% (transferrin saturation) that continue to raise. For some people ferritin may raise into the thousands & T/S at 99%. The only treatment is venesection to reduce levels.

Iron can fluctuate quite substantially, for instance if you were to eat an iron rich meal before the blood draw or suffered a cold or COVID which risked raising ferritin levels. In the absence of heamochromatosis levels should eventually fall. This is why iron levels should be viewed as an iron panel and if there are discrepancies then other tests used in conjunction, and viewed whilst considering symptoms.

Private labs

Only ferritin tested which is a good result. RBC’s & haemoglobin are still good but with folate & VitB12 both deficient you risk later aenemia if you don’t raise these to healthy levels. Are you supplementing?

nhs.uk/conditions/vitamin-b...

Hospital labs

You can see that serum iron & ferritin are good. Considering all results your elevated T/S% doesn't not indicate haemochromatosis. T/S% isn’t a measurement of one thing but a calculation of others and yours is raised because transferrin is under range. Transferrin is the protein carrier that binds iron to keep it safe and often reduces in the presence of inflammation.

Inflammation can also cause poor absorption of VitB12 and again you can see how low in range your levels are. 293 (211-911) is just 11% through range. This are NOT ok as per hospital statement, especially if you are becoming symptomatic. If you suffer autoimmune thyroid issues, supplementing methylated forms are often better tolerated, ie methyl VitB12 & methyl folate. Do not take folic acid which many find difficult to correctly utilise.

Hospital records show FT3 too high. Are you medicating thyroid hormone replacement, and if so which one & how much?

Everything else is good, and kidney function is great.

[isi123]

I agree with JigFettler, both number look like are in normal range.transferrin saturation?

In my case I had 1200 ug/L ferritin when I was 38 years old.

In any case, you should consult your doctor, there should be no doubts.

[knackersyard]

Thanks very much radd

That’s reassuring.

I would say I’m in well above average health & fitness for a 61yo, but nevertheless, we know when we’re not 100%

Yes, I have autoimmune conditions. Not anything like as bad as many, but I’m Hypothyroid (abandoned the NHS Levothyroxine treatment, which I didn’t convert to T3 at all & now take 3 grains of Natural Desiccated Thyroid). My thyroid numbers are now perfect (not according to NHS range, but hey…).

I’m also Hypogonadle & use Testogel. That works well too.

I have been Folate deficient for 10 years, which is baffling, because I eat veg & salad daily. No matter how much Folate I take, my numbers don’t increase. I clearly have some problem with methylation whether it’s Folate or synthetic Thyroid.

I started taking Methyl Folate years ago, but lapsed. I’ve restarted & will keep it up now.

B12 is another I lapsed. Started again now as well as Vitamin D, which I’ve been deficient in the past.

Lesson learned. I’ll keep those 3 up from now on.

Thanks