Iron low

[25092]

Hello, I just got back my blood work test and the iron read a little low, so I was wondering if anyone else here on the panel with pernicious anemia has had low iron. My iron binding is within range. Iron level is in range but iron percent transferring saturation is reading slightly low

[Nackapan]

My last bloods came back with that too?Ferritin okay though

I do take a low dose iron supplement.

I tried to get an answer from Gp .

No explanation

Just said everything fine .

Will see next time

[25092 in reply to Nackapan]

Thank you Nackapan and praying all is well with you! God bless you and grant you peace.

[jade_s]

Could you post the actual values together with their ranges? Iron has a crazy wide range so even if in range, you might be more deficient than you think, especially if % saturation is low. TIBC will tell you how much iron you can tolerate.

You might want to take a look at Rexz's recent post on iron deficiency without anemia & link with PA. healthunlocked.com/pasoc/po...

I also need to take iron supplements.

[25092 in reply to jade_s]

Thank you Jade. Here is the range

Text of iron range

[jade_s in reply to 25092]

Iron would be better around 90-100 and saturation 35% . Indeed saturation is too low.

If binding capacity was near the top of the range, you would better tolerate high doses of iron, but since it's midrange you don't want to overdo the daily dose.

Problem is, I don't know what might be considered too much, but maybe no more than 65mg / day (in terms of *elemental* iron, so you'll need to check the label).

Has your doctor said anything about it?

Take with vit C, it helps absorption. I also drink it with lime juice because i have low stomach acid.

Retest in a few months. Too much iron can be toxic so it's important to know how well you absorb it and how quickly levels rise.

You could get a second opinion on the ThyroidUK forum here on HU - they have more experience because low iron & hypothyroidism seem to go hand in hand.

I am not medically trained.

Hope that helps!

[25092 in reply to jade_s]

Thank you Jade, I didn't know low iron & hypothyroidism seem to go hand in hand. I will check out the link you gave me.Doc didn't seem too concerned, said continue your iron supplement as you are taking and increase iron rich foods (such as using molasses instead of sugar, using cast iron cookware, consuming green leafy vegetables, dark meats, beans, raisins as tolerated).

Thanks again, very much appreciated.

[jade_s in reply to 25092]

Didn't realize you were already on iron Has it gone up at while supplementing (unless this is the first test) ?

If you're already on high doses perhaps that's why he doesn't want to increase?

In any case you definitely have room to improve levels.

Hypothyroid can cause low stomach acid (as can PA), and that will affect proper absorption of nutrients.

Good luck!

[25092 in reply to jade_s]

Thanks, Jade_s, yeah I've been taking solgar gentle iron 25 mgs for almost 8 months now and it's up and it's down, sort of back and forth.

[forshaw2 in reply to jade_s]

Hi how can TIBC will tell you how much iron you can tolerate?

[25092 in reply to forshaw2]

I'm sorry forshaw, I'm not quite understanding the question

[jade_s in reply to forshaw2]

It's a rough guide but if TIBC / binding capacity is in the upper half of the range, there's more transferrin available to bind to iron, so you can take standard high doses of iron for iron deficiency.

If it's low in range, then there are fewer binding sites for iron so you should take low(er) doses.

Typically TIBC will be high when iron is low and vice versa, but sometimes people can be both iron deficient and low TIBC, so those people will want to avoid the higher doses of iron.

Here's a brief overview of the TIBC test my.clevelandclinic.org/heal...

I'm sure there are probably rules of thumb on how much iron to take when TIBC and iron are both low, but I don't know them unfortunately.

[Sea-blue]

Hi Jade , likewise I have low serum iron and my transferrin sat index is 20%. I currently take Solgar gentle iron supplement . It seems a very common problem with PA . The article mentioned is very good and I have read it as iron deficiency without Anaemia seems to me to be what I’ve got and many others. I’m looking into the Thyroid connection too. It’s really difficult to get GP’s etc to take it seriously . They seem to be clueless about it all

[Ghound]

Hi, Yes, my iron level is always low. I supplement then when I feel better tend to let it slide, only to realise I'm feeling anaemic again !

Am resolved to take better care of myself !

Best wishes to you

[25092 in reply to Ghound]

Thank you for responding Ghound. I really want you to have a within iron range also. Have a peaceful day!

[Ghound in reply to 25092]

Thanks, You too x

[lambuth_eagle]

according to my hematologist, the more important value is your ferritin. Have they checked that? I have iron deficiency without anemia where my iron is in range(lower end) and hemoglobin is fine, but my ferritin is low. Ferritin below 30 is iron deficiency. I take a daily supplement and we are still trying to figure out why I’m needing it.

[Marlboro123 in reply to lambuth_eagle]

Sorry, can i just ask why Ferritin is important ? When my iron was tested last August my Ferritin was 22 but my results just said in range on each of the iron bits of the blood test.

[25092 in reply to Marlboro123]

Marlboro, I'm so sorry, that question is above my complete understandings of ferrin. I'm sure someone here can answer your question knowing how to interpret the ferrin ranges

[lambuth_eagle in reply to Marlboro123]

Ferritin is the protein that stores iron and releases it when it's needed. You can have normal iron, but low ferritin which would mean your body isn't holding the iron very well and doesn't have a healthy storage level to pull from. For me what happens is that I take an iron supplement and my iron levels increase, then my ferritin. Once I stop taking the supplement those levels decrease.

[25092 in reply to lambuth_eagle]

It's a delicate issue and sometimes nerve-wracking but we'll get through it

[25092 in reply to lambuth_eagle]

Thank you for bringing that to my attention. I went back to check the test and it looks good. I really hope you get that level up soon lambuth eagle. I'm cheering for you.

Ferrin results

[25092 in reply to 25092]

107.1

[lambuth_eagle in reply to 25092]

That's a great number!

[Hidden]

Hi I'm not sure quite what iron percent transferring saturation means. I believe that B12 is required to absorb iron and therefore if B12 is low, iron may well be. Always ask your Doctor though.

[25092 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you

[dickenspeter]

Hi.

You can get a lowered ferritin when you have a low B12.