Transferrin level

[RCHD]

What should be the ideal transferrin level ?

[Hidden]

Between 25% and 45%.

Less than 25% indicates iron deficiency and probably anaemia.

Greater than 45% possibly indicates haemochromatosis a genetic condition.

[RCHD in reply to Hidden]

His was 29.74 umol /L

[Hidden in reply to RCHD]

That appears to be normal.

Iron can't just travel around the body on its own, it needs a transporter mechanism. That mechanism is transferrin. That's where it gets its name from.

The transferrin saturation level is possibly more significant It's like a dishcloth, if the cloth is not very saturated then it means there's not enough water. If it's very saturated then there's too much water. It doesn't matter how big the cloth is.

So similarly if transferrin saturation is low (less than 25%) then there's not enough iron. If it's too high (more than 45%) then there's too much iron.

You can compare this to "oxygen saturation". This should in health be nearly 100%.

Oxygen is carried in the blood be haemoglobin. In this case even if haemoglobin levels are normal, oxygen saturation can still be low e.g. due to lung problems.

Hence, it's good to know that your hubby has normal levels of transferrin, but this needs to be considered in conjunction with transferrin saturation, which indicates how much iron is available.

[RCHD in reply to Hidden]

Ok great thank you , let me see if I can somehow get this info to his doctor so we can possibly find this out.

[WideBody in reply to RCHD]

Manerva always has the best answer. Did your husband take the test in the morning and was he fasting? Your answer 29.74umol/liter is probably for ferritin which is actually very low, mine was similar, I got an infusion. Transferrin saturation percentage is a percentage and should be between 25% -45%. I hope your husband finds a good answer.

[RCHD in reply to WideBody]

He didn’t take it fasting ... he took it mid day . He had already eaten in morning. Yes I agree it’s on the low end, but they said it was “normal “ ...

[WideBody in reply to RCHD]

RCHD, that's why it's important for patients with RLS to do a full Iron panel in the morning and fasted. It is literally the first step in every clinical concensus I have ever read regarding RLS. Ferritin fluxuates throughout the day. Ferritin is at it's lowest in the morning. Ferritin is directly affected by what we eat. So it is best to do it in the morning.

A full iron panel with show 4 numbers, if any one of the three is low, iron may be an issue.

I printed this paper, read it, highlighted it. Chart in chapter 8.1 says it all.

sciencedirect.com/science/a...

Cheers and let us know how your husband get along.

[RCHD in reply to WideBody]

So good to know. I wish the doctor had told us this!! Really appreciate it. 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

[cateagle in reply to WideBody]

Thanks so much for this!

[Reb0013 in reply to Hidden]

oh, I see you are talking about % Saturation rather than the actual Transferin value. Here in USA we typically get a Transferin value and also a % Saturation value.Transferin norm value is 188-341 mg/dl where as % Saturation normal value is typically 20-50 ug/dl

[WideBody in reply to Reb0013]

Hi Reb0013, I am confused. A full iron panel consists of 4 numbers. (My understanding).

Serum Iron Total is measured 50-180 mcg/dL

Iron binding capacity (TIBC) 250-425 mcg/dL

Saturation Percentage (Which is calculated from Serum Iron Total 20-48%

Ferriting 24-380 ng/mL

So I did some checking and it depends on the lab. Here is a good explanation.

labtestsonline.org/tests/tr...

[bill54321 in reply to Hidden]

If your iron levels are normal range does it mean your transferrin levels are normal or is it a seperate test,

[Reb0013 in reply to bill54321]

Separate test

[Reb0013 in reply to Hidden]

Hi Manerva, what unit of measurement are you speaking of? Here in USA, the Transferin normal range is 188-341 mg/dl.