I'm new here - normal (?) B12 levels but low folate - help I'm TOTALLY confused....
Having felt absolutely awful for ages and suspecting a thyroid problem I elected to have the Thyroid Ultra Test offered by Medichecks. I've had a problem with low ferritin levels, diagnosed 10 years ago after the birth of my first child (incidentally my mother and son have exactly the same problem with ferritin). I was receiving iron transfusions but the last haematologist I was in contact with (usual one absent) refused to give me a another infusion stating my levels were "withing the normal range" and pointing out the lower cut-off level had recently been amended (reduced). I guessed what would happen (based on what happens every time supplementation is given either by infusion or tablets) - my ferritin levels go up following treatment then subsequently decline. My mother has been exactly the same for the past 48 years. My mother has been subjected to various investigations, including camera up both ends, to ascertain the reason but doctors have not been able to find any and GP states "just one of those things" YES, REALLY! My ferritin is currently low (see below).
The results are posted below (reference ranges in brackets):
TSH - 0.859 mIU/L (0.27 - 4.2)
Free T4 - 14.0 pmol/L (12.0 - 22.0)
Free T3 - 4.59 pmol/L (3.1 - 6.8)
Thyroglobulin antibody <10 IU/mL (0.00 -115.00)
Thyroid peroxidase antibodies < 9.0 IU/mL
Active B12 - 86.100 pmol/L (25.10 - 165.00)
* Folate (serum) 1.5 ug/L
* CRP High Sensitivity - 6.34mg/l (0.00 - 5.00)
* Ferritin - 11.4 ug/L (13.00 - 150.00)
Almost exactly a year ago I had my B12 levels checked with Blue Horizon after seeing a programme on television about B12 deficiency - these at the time were:
Active B12 - 64.0 pmol/L
MMA - 201 nmol/L (0 - 280)
Also - I'd previously had my homocysteine levels checked and these were elevated
So, in a nutshell, do I have anything to be concerned about? I assume there is no likelihood of a B12 deficiency as my B12/MMA levels appear to be normal (?) Do I just supplement with Folic Acid and assume my feeling awful must have to do with something else entirely...? I am a bit confused about about the varying reference ranges I have seen quoted and the differing units used to measure eg. pmol/L / nmolL / gmol/L - how do you compare (?)
Any advice/guidance you could offer me would be very much appreciated as I don't know where to go from here. Thanks