Hi there can anyone please advise if there is anything I can do . Been told I have anemia but my iron panel is ok so therefore there is no treatment . Pretty sure I have sympt9ms but it can get mixed up with thyroid probs
Total white count 4.6. Range 4-11.
Red blood counT 3.6 Range 3.8-5.3
haemoglobon 112. Range 120-150
Haematocrit 0.34 Range 0.37-45
Apart from the TWCC they are marked *
The others are in range
Also my GP did folate 9 Range 2.5-19.5
Ferritin 96. Range. 30-470
So I was told by consultant that it couldn’t be addressed as my iron panel was ok.
Just hoping for your trusted thoughts on above, I get breathless , heart sounds in right ear and muscle aches if I do much, (little) But what part does no thyroid play?
I have looked at the ranges as I have patient access and the trend if downwards of the FBC . I have read that it can occur in 85yr olds and beyond fairly commonly, but I am no where near that .
Thank you
Written by
Gcart
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No, unfortunately. It was your below range haemoglobin that made me think.
If MCV is low with a raised MCHC then it indicates iron anaemia. If MCH is high with a raised MCHC then that can indicate folate/B12 anaemia. But yours are in range so it would seem that those can be ruled out.
However, have a look at labtestsonline.org/tests/he... and click on "What does the result mean?" under Common Questions:
"A low hematocrit with low RBC count and low hemoglobin indicates anemia. Some causes include:
....... "
Have a read through and then I think it should be further discussed with your GP or consultant.
I don't know anything about it, but as you have a name for it I would ask your GP for information and what he intends to do about it. You can Google, there should be either NHS information or NICE information.
The full text of the above paper is freely available. One big problem with the paper is that it doesn't give reference ranges for any of the things that were measured and I've forgotten how to interpret p-values.
Imagine Patient A has a ferritin level of 50 with a reference range of 13 - 150, and Patient B has a ferritin level of 50 with a reference range of 30 - 400.
Patient A has a ferritin level 27% of the way through the reference range.
Patient B has a ferritin level 5% of the way through the reference range.
Patient B will feel a lot more fatigued than patient A.
In other words, although that link I gave could be helpful, bear in mind that without reference ranges you can't directly compare your ferritin level with the levels mentioned in the paper.
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Another link that may be helpful - you could tell doctors you have restless legs, whether or not this is true. One suggested method of treating restless legs is to raise ferritin levels :
Again, though, there is no reference range given for the ferritin levels mentioned. It's something that crops up time and time again when you research iron.
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Did the consultant you saw have any explanation for your low haemoglobin, low red blood cell count, and low haematocrit?
There is a condition called Anaemia of Chronic Disease or Anaemia of Chronic Inflammation or Anaemia of Inflammatory Response that may be what you are suffering with. In this condition the body withdraws iron from most of the body and the bloodstream and stores it in ferritin, thus reducing haemoglobin levels and serum iron levels, and probably several other measures affected by iron. The reasons for this are described in the following links :
Since your consultant is ignoring your low levels you should ask your doctor for a referral to a haematologist. They ought to know whether or not you should supplement. Being left to rot with low iron and extreme fatigue is not good for your long term health and the doctors should be looking into why your levels are so low.
But that comment applies in an ideal world. You will probably need to decide for yourself whether or not you should supplement iron. If you choose to do so, please note that the supplements doctors prescribe can be bought without prescription from Pharmacies and online.
One thing to be aware of is whether or not you have a gastro-intestinal bleed. Please note that taking vitamin C may lead to false negatives on a check for blood in faeces.
Testing should be carried out fairly regularly - perhaps every 2 -3 months. The thing you need to be careful of particularly is serum iron or ferritin rising dramatically while other measures don't improve at all. If that happens then stop supplementing immediately.
In many cases though, it takes a long time to raise iron and ferritin levels. It took me nearly two years to get my own ferritin up to mid-range, and despite that my serum iron and other measures are still lower than optimal. But I keep things the way they are rather than raise ferritin above mid-range.
Breathless can be due to anaemia and/or B12 deficiency and/or hypothyroidism. Have they tested your B12 and the aim for us on the forum is for it to be optimum at around 1,000.
You could try improving the levels yourself. What i would say is that have vitamin C with iron rich meals to help absorption. Drink orange juice with meals etc;
Eat a vitamin-rich diet
Many types of anemia can't be prevented. But iron deficiency anemia and vitamin deficiency anemias can be avoided by having a diet that includes a variety of vitamins and nutrients, including:
Iron. Iron-rich foods include beef and other meats, beans, lentils, iron-fortified cereals, dark green leafy vegetables, and dried fruit.
Folate. This nutrient, and its synthetic form folic acid, can be found in fruits and fruit juices, dark green leafy vegetables, green peas, kidney beans, peanuts, and enriched grain products, such as bread, cereal, pasta and rice.
Vitamin B-12. Foods rich in vitamin B-12 include meat, dairy products, and fortified cereal and soy products.
Vitamin C. Foods rich in vitamin C include citrus fruits and juices, peppers, broccoli, tomatoes, melons and strawberries. These items help increase iron absorption.
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Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
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