Some help with interpreting iron panel please. - Thyroid UK

Thyroid UK

137,154 members160,838 posts

Some help with interpreting iron panel please.

musicaljune profile image
7 Replies

My mum is supplementing with iron.

Crp hs 0.48 (0-5)

Iron 29,9 (5.8-34.5)

Tibc 62.7 (45-81)

Uibc 30.9 (24.2-70.1)

Transferrin 47.5 (20-50)

Ferritin 298.6 (13-150)

It looks as though she should’ve stopped a while back. Any insight with what these numbers are now saying and mean would be helpful. Thank you.

Written by
musicaljune profile image
musicaljune
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Read more about...
7 Replies
SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering

musicaljune

Why did your mum start taking iron?

It looks as though she should’ve stopped a while back

Yes, it looks that way.

When discussing iron panels we usually quote the following:

Optimal iron panel levels according to rt3-adrenals.org/Iron_test_... are:

Iron 29,9 (5.8-34.5)

Serum iron: 55 to 70% of the range, higher end for men - your mum's is 83.97% through range which is high.

Tibc 62.7 (45-81)

Total Iron Binding Capacity (TIBC) or Transferrin: Low in range indicates lack of capacity for additional iron, High in range indicates body's need for supplemental iron - your mum's is 49.17%* through range so does not suggest supplementing is necessary.

*Edited to correct.

Transferrin 47.5 (20-50)

Transferrin and Transferrin Saturation Percentage are two different things.

As TIBC and Transferrin measure the same thing, I am assuming that this should be Transferrin Saturation % not Transferrin

Saturation: optimal is 35 to 45%, higher end for men - your mum's is 47.5%* which is high.

*Edited to correct.

Ferritin 298.6 (13-150)

Ferritin: Low level virtually always indicates need for iron supplementation; High level with low serum iron/low saturation indicates inflammation or infection - your mum's is very high.

Did she leave her iron supplements off for 7 days before the test?

If she did then as her CRP is low her ferritin isn't raised due to inflammation so it must be due to iron supplements which she no longer needs.

musicaljune profile image
musicaljune in reply to SeasideSusie

Thank you SeasideSusie. You’re right it’s transferrin saturation. So are you saying that all the numbers indicate she should simply stop supplementing? Does this mean that all the figures apart from ferritin are fine?

How does she keep her ferritin from plummeting again? It’s likely that when she stops supplementing it will fall either suddenly or slowly. Obviously we won’t know unless she tests fairly frequently. Should she adopt some sort of occasional supplementation? Her diet is very good and includes lots of greens, weekly liver and pate but I’m not sure it helped maintain good levels in the past.

I find the iron subject really difficult so thank you for your help.

Partner20 profile image
Partner20 in reply to musicaljune

High ferritin can have several causes, not just over-supplementation or inflammation. Your mother's GP should be investigating these results, with referral to a haematologist and/or a rheumatologist if necessary.

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering in reply to musicaljune

musicaljune

I have given you the information about optimal levels from the link frequently used here. I have made a couple of corrections to my original reply as I had worked out the percentages incorrectly.

Does this mean that all the figures apart from ferritin are fine?

Iron is complicated but you can see from the figures that your mum's serum iron and saturation are well over the recommended optimal levels and to continue supplementing would take these figures even higher and this could lead to toxicity. Too much iron is as bad as too little.

Did she leave her iron supplements off for 7 days before the test?

Need to know. If she continued with her supplements then her levels will show high.

Did she fast for 12 hours before the iron panel?

When did she start supplementing iron?

Why did she start, did she do an iron panel and the results suggested that she needed to?

How much does she supplement?

How does she keep her ferritin from plummeting again?

What was it before? Is this why she started taking iron? Was an iron panel done then?

Should she adopt some sort of occasional supplementation?

That depends on what she's taking now and how much difference between previous results and post-supplementing results.

I find the iron subject really difficult so thank you for your help.

Yes, it is complicated. My serum iron and saturation are good but my ferritin lags behind and I have trouble getting the right balance.

musicaljune profile image
musicaljune in reply to SeasideSusie

Thank you for checking and the amendments. Apologies also because I thought I’d included the answers to the specific points you raised.

She stopped supplementing around 3-6 days before testing on an empty stomach at around 9am. In answer to your question on why she began, it was because her previous iron panel some time back suggested a need. A subsequent one showed her iron markers were improving but she continued supplementing until this most recent one and she’s been doing so for a about three years overall because the first couple of iron brands she tried didn’t help, test after test showed very little shift upwards. Her ferritin has varied between about 40 and 80 and she specifically wanted to try to raise it and other nutrients to see if it helped improve the efficacy of her thyroid glandulars.

With reference to Partner 20’s comments, at this stage she won’t bother asking GP to investigate because I think we can reasonably assume for the moment the cause is over supplementation and so she’ll stop immediately and re-test. She’ll also cut out liver and pate for the time being.

What do you think is a sensible period before re-testing? We can’t know how quickly the levels will drop so do you suppose around 6 weeks is enough to show change?

Thanks again for helping.

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering in reply to musicaljune

musicaljune

I think it might be worth retesting the iron panel in 2 months. I'm not sure how quickly things change when stopping supplementing, I know that when trying to improve iron levels it can take quite some time.

musicaljune profile image
musicaljune in reply to SeasideSusie

That seems sensible. For future reference she can update you after re-test which will give you an idea of how slowly or quickly it can happen for some because I realise it won’t be the same for everyone.

You may also like...

Help - with interpreting Iron panel

any suggestions of how to improve my iron count ? Iron Status IRON * 6.1 umol/L (6.6 -......

Help with interpreting Iron Panel results please

it all means, especially with the first result. Is it still okay for me to supplement with iron?...

Iron panel interpretation please

friend’s recent iron panel I’ve looked on rT3 adrenals where it says a low transferrin level...

Iron panel test help please

also need to stop taking my iron supplements too? Advice would be much appreciated! Thankyou

Help interpreting iron panel

obtain a full iron panel. Results are posted here. Ferritin seems fine but iron & transferrin...