Transferrin Saturation: Marked as Abnormal - results from lab being chased up.
Red blood count: 5.2 (3.9-5.1)
My questions are: is the medichecks Ferritin measuring the same as the GP serum ferritin and if so how are they so different?
Another question is, how is my ferritin/serum ferritin high but everything else is low? Last year my transferrin sat was low so I’m assuming it will also come back as too low. But I am so confused by these results which indicate some too high and some too low. Also should I be concerned about the red blood cell count? As this is higher surely because of high serum ferritin?
Many thanks for your help.
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jm2450
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My questions are: is the medichecks Ferritin measuring the same as the GP serum ferritin and if so how are they so different?
There is always a big difference between Medichecks and GP ferritin test results, it's been the subject of many posts on the forum and I don't think there's ever been a satisfactory answer. Unfortunately I can't remember the member's name now who was in discussion with Medichecks over this. Best to just stick to either one or the other and not compare them.
As CRP is an inflammation marker then the lower the better with this test. Although CRP is in range, it's near the top end so suggesting possible inflammation somewhere. Ferritin also rises with inflammation so this ferritin result would probably be lower if CRP was low.
18/08 GP Results
Serum Ferritin: 153 ug/L (30-200)
Serum Iron: 9umol/L (9-30)
Serum Transferrin: 2.45 (1.80-3.82)
Transferrin Saturation: Marked as Abnormal - results from lab being chased up.
Serum iron: 55 to 70% of the range, higher end for men - yours is dire at 0% through range which suggests possible iron deficiency
Saturation: optimal is 35 to 45%, higher end for men - yours is as yet unknown but possibly low which again might suggest iron deficiency
Transferrin: Low in range indicates lack of capacity for additional iron, High in range indicates body's need for supplemental iron - yours is 32% through range which at the lower end and suggests you don't need to supplement iron
Ferritin: Low level virtually always indicates need for iron supplementation; High level with low serum iron/low saturation indicates inflammation or infection; High level with high serum iron and low TIBC indicates excess iron; Over range with saturation above 45% suggests hemochromatosis - yours is towards the higher end of range but not over range, it might possibly be interpreted as high with low serum iron/saturation indication inflammation or infection
Your RBC is very slightly over range, there can be many reasons for high RBC and one of causes can be dehydration. It probably needs looking at along with the rest of the full blood count.
Iron is complicated and I don't pretend to understand it completely, so my comments are just my interpretation of your results based on optimal levels from the article referred to.
Thanks Susie. Turns out my transferrin sat is low too. GP said they don’t really bother worrying about higher ferritin as it’s not that accurate in terms of iron? He suggested that I’m low on iron and should increase dietary intake but I said I don’t understand won’t that put my ferritin levels higher? He said they will do a full retest in 6 weeks along with CRP but also said they would have no concerns with my CRP either unless it reached around 10-15 and it’s currently 3. I’m not sure what’s going on to be honest.
GP said they don’t really bother worrying about higher ferritin as it’s not that accurate in terms of iron?
Well, he's right in a way. Ferritin is not iron, it's your iron store, when your body requires iron it takes it from the iron store but we have to replenish the iron store so there's enough iron next time you body asks for it. Think pantry and baked beans - ferritin is the pantry and baked beans are iron, you stock the pantry and use the baked beans as and when you want them, when the stock gets low you restock with more baked beans.
He suggested that I’m low on iron and should increase dietary intake but I said I don’t understand won’t that put my ferritin levels higher?
Now that's a question I find impossible to answer. My iron panel has always been good except for low ferritin so I didn't need iron tablets but I tried to raise my ferritin level with diet, eating liver regularly. It very gradually raised my ferritin without affecting the rest of the iron panel, but I've never really achieved a really great ferritin result. I would have thought that taking iron in supplemental form would be a better way to raise such a poor iron level as yours, but that's just my thoughts.
He said they will do a full retest in 6 weeks along with CRP but also said they would have no concerns with my CRP either unless it reached around 10-15 and it’s currently 3.
I think that's about the right level where they start considering inflammation.
My CRP is never low. My surgery tends to report is as <5 or if it's over 5 they put the number. If I do a private test I always get a number even when it's below 5. I have lung disease so I'm always going to have a degree of inflammation and it varies, so I can never be sure of what my exact ferritin level is because it will always show higher, to a degree, due to the inflammation.
Thank you Susie that’s very helpful. I kind of get the ferritin/iron difference but still the problem with me is if I put iron in in terms of supplements I don’t want my ferritin stores to go through the roof if that makes sense! I know it’s very confusing and our bodies are all different. Surely if my ferritin is high and my iron is low, my body would take more ferritin from my stores instead of leaving me low on iron! It baffles me.
With CRP, did you mean they start looking at inflammation around 10-15? Sorry I misunderstood whether it was around 3 or around 10-15!
I think for the moment I will continue with iron in my diet and see what the retest looks like in 6 weeks. Obviously if my ferritin stores have gone up I will have to see what they suggest.
One of the problems with iron and ferritin (when neither are at healthy levels) is that you could supplement iron and you won't know if your serum iron is rising or your ferritin is rising. (Obviously you could test, but doctors in the UK rarely do an iron panel, it would have to be a private test.) In cases of ACD it is possible that your ferritin will go higher and higher and your serum iron will stay low. If ferritin gets really high it could, in some cases, lead to iron being deposited where you don't want it to be, like in your brain or other organs.
This was my worry humanbean. About my ferritin going higher as my iron staying the same. The GP has suggested not supplementing which I agree with, and a retest in 6 weeks to see where my levels are at but I’m not sure how we “treat it”. As I have Hashimotos it could obviously be connected to that? How do I lower inflammation? GP said they don’t even factor CRP in until it’s over 10 which mine is nowhere near. He did say they will test CRP with my iron panel in 6 weeks but until then I’m at a loss. Obviously I shouldn’t cut iron out as I am low, but I also don’t want to push my ferritin up. Very confused!
Hi, I’ve had similar results from Medichecks for some time, actually higher ferritin and CRP. I was part of the discussion recently on here about exceptionally high ferritin results coming from County laboratory used by Medichecks. It would seem that the high results aren’t replicated at other labs so the suggestion is that it’s specific to County lab. Suggestion was to try another private testing company like Blue Horizon or speak to Medichecks to ask for testing at a lab other than County.
I have had success reducing CRP by taking turmeric tablets and tea. Lots of choice on Amazon & elsewhere.
Thank you so much for your response! It is crazy because medichecks ferritin came back at 207ug/L and 9 days later my ferritin came back at 153ug/L through my GP! I was flabbergasted! I will try a different lab and see. They can’t be fluctuating that much surely! Got some tumeric tablets to start as well so I’m on the right track clearly!
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