Help with these blood tests please

[leanneward4993]

hi was told to write on this page with some help regarding some of my blood tests results that are relevent to my iron levels if someone could help or tell me if there low before i see my GP as sometimes they tend to fob you off

Serum Folate- 3.3(3.1-20.5ug/l)

Active B12- 37 (25-108pmol/L)

Ferretin- 63(22-275 ug/l)

Iron level - 13 (11.0-29.0umol/L

[Gambit62 Administrator]

all of the above results are lower end of the normal range but they are still in the normal range.

Have you been supplementing at all?

[leanneward4993 in reply to Gambit62]

Nope no supplements

[Gambit62 Administrator in reply to leanneward4993]

just checking on the supplements in case you were taking any but it wasn't having any appreciable effect on levels indicating that you had an absorption problem - but if you aren't supplementing then that isn't the case.

normal ranges are statistical averages so there is always a slight danger in applying these back to an individual (both if you are in the range and if you are below the range) but for most vitamins and minerals the chances that somebody inside the range isn't okay is pretty small.

serum B12 and active B12 can be a bit more problematic in this respect than other vitamins and minerals. Don't know the situation with active B12 so well but with serum B12 just using it as a single measure will result in missing 25% of people who are deficient so symptoms are important ... though evaluating those if you have a thyroid problem - particularly if it isn't well under control - can be very difficult because of the overlap

list of symptoms of B12 deficiency can be found here

pernicious-anaemia-society....