Low iron low Hb?

[Xoxtara]

I have recently been diagnosed as having very low iron in my blood. It is only at 4. Is having low iron basically low hb?

[radd]

Xoxtara,

Welcome to our forum.

If you were healthy then yes, your body needs iron to make haemoglobin, so in theory being deficient in one will result in deficiency of the other. However if we have iron deficiency, testing becomes a paradoxical challenge as iron mechanisms go askew.

For instance it is possible to have iron deficiency despite a normal haemoglobin level and full blood count. This is when a full iron panel becomes essential in identifying how much iron the body is saturated with and of that amount how much is unbound (available for use). Also a good GP who can read further than the test results.

Apart from being an inflammation marker, ferritin isn’t always a good indicator of iron levels because it is only a protein that irons attaches to for storage. It is possible to have low ferritin and high iron levels, or high ferritin and low iron levels. Even with negative bone marrow, iron stores (ferritin) have been known to be adequate.

Do you have a thyroid problems? You are welcome to post any results complete with ranges (numbers in brackets) concerning thyroid, iron & nutrients for members to comment.