Please help with my blood results

[Sammyahha]

Hello all,

Not sure where to post so apologies for the incorrect place.

I wondered if anyone can help with my blood results, have been struggling for about 3 years with tiredness and fatigue, assumed it was iron deficiency without anemia as my ferritin is always below 20 and hovers around the 12 mark.

My latest blood results are as follows,

Haemoglobin concentration 159 g/L [117.0 - 149.0]

Outside reference range

Total white blood count 8.9 10*9/L [4.3 - 11.2]

Platelet count - observation 272 10*9/L [155.0 - 421.0]

Red blood cell count 5.30 10*12/L [3.85 - 5.15]

Outside reference range

Mean cell volume 86.0 fL [81.0 - 97.0]

Haematocrit 0.453 [0.347 - 0.445]

Outside reference range

Mean cell haemoglobin level 30.0 pg [26.9 - 33.0]

Mean cell haemoglobin concentration 351 g/L [320.0 - 359.0]

Neutrophil count 5.24 10*9/L [2.1 - 7.4]

Lymphocyte count 2.83 10*9/L [1.0 - 3.6]

Monocyte count - observation 0.62 10*9/L [0.3 - 1.0]

Eosinophil count - observation 0.21 10*9/L [0.02 - 0.5]

Basophil count 0.04 10*9/L [0.02 - 0.1]

Serum ferritin level 19.3 ug/L [20.0 - 130.0]

Serum vitamin B12 level 666 ng/L [197.0 - 771.0]

Serum folate level 2.9 ug/L [2.0 - 18.7]

Borderline folate level - possible folate deficiency

So Ferritin is still low, along with folate, but gp has marked it as no further action, also my red cell indices seem rather contradictory to me, my ferritin is consistently low, and RBC consistently high-normal if only slightly over range, I’m a smoker so that’s possibly why.

But does anyone else have similar results with a known cause, I’m fed up of the tiredness, lack of energy and breath, but I just can’t seem to find out why.

Thanks for the help

Also, I’m a 28 year old female, the bulk of my main meals are lamb and spinach. Daily. Boring but it’s pretty much all I like in the early evening

[Gambit62 Administrator]

What has your GP said about the results above?

Do you have a diagnosis of PA or another problem with absorbing B12 - your B12 results look good but if you are on injections this may not be the case.

This forum is actually about B12 deficiency caused by an absorption problems. Your results above are not indicative of this condition.

Ferritin is a protein that binds to iron allowing your body to use it. As such it is usually quite a good indicator of iron status but everything else in the above seems to indicate that you don't have iron based anaemia.

Your diet sounds a bit too restrictive. Whilst spinach does contain iron it also contains a compound that actually inhibits the uptake of iron. I would strongly advice that you try to broaden out your diet to include a wider range of vegetables and fruit - and a wider range of foods generally - balance out carbohydrates, protein, fats, roughage etc and get a wider mix of micronutrients.

[FlipperTD]

Smokers do tend to run higher Haemoglobin [Hb] levels and this might be a factor in your case. Your iron status is borderline based on your ferritin, but everything else looks OK.

As iron deficiency develops, the Mean Cell Haemoglobin falls because your bone marrow continues making red cells but has difficulty making Haemoglobin. The Mean Cell Volume falls also.

If you were able to stop smoking, then things might improve Hb-wise, and it'd be a good thing health-wise anyway.

It's worth mentioning that dehydration would cause the Hb to rise [along with the RBC cound and Hct] but would recover on rehydration.

Good luck!