My ferritin has dropped again to
19 [10-300]
If you remember, it was over 500 in October 2020 then 34 in November 2021
My FBC is satisfactory and doctor has said no further action, but what on earth is going on? Any ideas from you knowledgeable people wold be greatly appreciated.
I tend to think there's a genetic factor that predisposes you to have low ferritin. Mine has been low for years and years.
I agree 100%
19 [10-300]
My FBC is satisfactory and doctor has said no further action
According to NICE, a ferritin level below 30 confirms iron deficiency - see
cks.nice.org.uk/topics/anae...
In all people, a serum ferritin level of less than 30 micrograms/L confirms the diagnosis of iron deficiency.
Your GP should do an iron panel to include serum iron, transferrin saturation percentage, total iron binding capacity plus ferritin, this will show if you have iron deficiency. It doesn't matter that your FBC is normal, you can have iron deficiency with or without anaemia.
With the fluctuations you have in your ferritin level, it might be an idea if your GP either referred you for investigations or took guidance from a specialist.
Thank you SeasideSusie, I agree. I hope that my doctor sees these results and calls me in. I’ll leave it for a few days then ask to see her if she hasn’t made contact. It could be that when my store is empty I will go on to become anaemic. In the meantime, I have symptoms: headaches, muscle pain, sometimes a worrying feeling of almost light headed and dizzy (discombobulated) restless legs never been worse and hair falling out alarmingly and I’m very tired to top it all off.
Ferritin is classed as an acute phase reactant. (What an awful bit of terminology!)
That means ferritin rises when you have inflammation somewhere in your body. It can certainly rise from low to 500 and above when you have inflammation.
I'd strongly suspect that you had some sort of infection at the time. The other obvious possibility is that you are losing blood at a significant rate, but I doubt that.
Hi helvella, My ferritin went down to 7 with anaemia in August 2020 and I was given an iron infusion in October, which is why it was so high in November. Ever since then it’s been dropping. By November 2021 it was down to 34 and now 19. This is not ‘normal’ and I’m a bit concerned.
You are right to be concerned. Unfortunately, unless there is something obvious like bleeding, it can take some diagnostic work to find out why.
A typical medical approach to iron deficiency is to prescribe an infusion or supplement until the chosen measures are within the acceptable ranges. Then stop.
Few doctors consider looking at a combination of diet, and longer-term supplementation to address the issue of continual dropping of iron levels. Certainly the dosing required to increase iron levels might be too much, but a half, a third, a quarter of that dose might be sufficient to maintain iron levels.
It is important both to find out why and also to ensure your iron levels are maintained.
I’m going to nag until they do something! Could it be an absorption problem? I eat very healthily, including meat, shellfish, chicken and lots of green vegetables.
I so wish we had an iron deficiency forum on HealthUnlocked.
Yes - I think it could be an absorption problem.
Iron content of food does not always translate into iron absorbed.
I was eating pate 2x week and pumpkin seeds every day and ferritin still dropping significantly. Deffo absorption issue
Low Ferritin is associated to Celiac Disease. If You are not Celiac, You can be gluten intolerant.My ferritin is always low. Doctors still don't know why. I have 2 hypothesis:
1. I am an unaware gluten intolerant, or:
2. My t3 is lower than it used to be, and somehow that is pulling my ferritin down (probably because of low stomach acid).
Hi, I'm not coeliac, have some issues with gluten, nausea, wind, bloating etc. My grandmother,mother, daughter sister nephew All have low ferritin, they don't have any problems with gluten. I have high stomach acid. I'm trying to be as gluten free as poss but ferritin just keeps dropping.
Have you retested thyroid levels since increasing levothyroxine to 100mcg
When were vitamin D, folate and B12 last tested
Presumably you are not vegetarian or vegan?
Do you eat red meat and liver?
Have you had coeliac blood test done
Are you on strictly gluten free diet
Low ferritin linked to poor gut function and gluten intolerance
Sorry I didn’t reply sooner. I’ve been having a tough time lately with my husband’s health issues and have moved house, so haven’t had my thyroid test for a while.I eat a normal healthy diet, red meat included, but I don’t eat organ meat, though I can tolerate homemade chicken liver pate.
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