On 8.07.21. I did a medichecks iron panel test results as follows:
Iron 26.4 (6.6-26 umol/L)
TIBC 66 (41-77 umol/L)
Trans Sat 40% (20-55)
Ferritin 50 (13-150 ug/L)
I was advised at the time that it probably wasn't hemochromatosis as ferritin level too low but was advised to keep my eye on it. Ferritin levels since have never been good but the recent MMH screen test that I did showed:-
Ferritin 208 (0-550 ug/L)
Trans Sat 47% (0-105)
Does anyone know whether I may be on my way to having hemochromatosis (even though ferritin level suggests not) or whether this is just plain iron overload. I don't take iron tablets of any description and don't eat a lot of red meat and was only eating liver once a fortnight so I'm at a loss as to know why my trans sat level has risen which I believe is too high. Many thanks in advance for any input you lovely people can give me!
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Delgor
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The above reference range is impossible. Anyone who has a transferrin saturation of 0% is most likely to be dead, and since Trans Sat is a percentage you can't have a result over 100.
Thank you for replying but the MMH test only gives ranges for the thyroid function tests and none of the others and all are shown in graph form so I took the numbers given at the top and bottom of the graphs and TSAT was shown as 0%-105%. Please just leave it as I'm actually feeling very unwell at the moment and don't want to stay on the computer☹️
Looking at the actual graph, the ‘normal’ section is about 15 to 50. I really don’t know why they put the full graph up to 105%, as you say @humanbean, that’s not right.
Ferritin, the ‘normal’ range on my results is 15 to 400.
I don’t know why they’re doing it this way rather than giving an actual range, it doesn’t help; but then again, if this is what the doc sees it’s no wonder they don’t seem to understand. Hope that helps.
Sorry this is so belated - have been poorly and now catching up. Thank you for your message and also for displaying a graph to show humanbean how MMH are giving their results. It's the first time I've done one with them as I wanted to see some of the other things they were listing and of course they come in cheaper than Medichecks or Blue Horizon which all helps when we are paying out so much for tests. Take Care!
Thanks so much grumpyold for your detailed reply and sorry this is so belated but I've been unwell and now just catching up with stuff. It was good to have your opinion and also to learn the tips that you gave - drinking tea with food will be no hardship for me as it's my favourite beverage. I do seem to have a lot of things that have gone wrong with me over the past couple of years or so and still haven't got answers to some of them so trying hard to research things for myself. Gone are the days when your gp knew you and your family - they tell you not to google stuff but it seems to be the only way forward these days - aah! Take Care!
Thank you Spangle and sorry for the long delay in replying - everything is good to know and I'll definitely check out calcium levels again at some time. Cheers!
Please note that contradictory results in an iron panel are quite common.
Iron - Your iron is a tiny amount over range and could suggest that a problem might develop in future. But it isn't clear on the basis of just your iron what that problem might be.
TIBC - Total Iron Binding Capacity - when this is high in range or over the range this suggests that your body is rather low in iron and needs more. Your result is 69% through the range which isn't particularly high in range, but being in the upper half of the range does suggest you are more likely to be a little bit short of iron than the reverse.
Transferrin Saturation - Optimal is 35% - 45%, lower end of that range for women. This would suggest that your result is optimal.
Ferritin - Optimal for ferritin is not given a precise definition in the link above. We usually suggest that roughly 50% - 70% through the range is good. Yours is much lower than that suggesting that you need more iron.
Your more recent test :
Ferritin 208 (0-550 ug/L) 38% through range
Trans Sat 47%
It would be helpful to have the rest of the results from that test so a full comparison could be done.
The Ferritin from the later test is well within range but is still lower than optimal suggesting you need more iron.
The Transferrin Saturation is slightly over the optimal range for a woman suggesting that you have slightly more iron than ideal, but it isn't a big problem.
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Do you have any results for vitamin B12 (either Serum or Active) and Folate? If you do could you post them please.
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According to this link on high iron your results are likely to be showing evidence of an MTHFR problem. This is a very common problem - allegedly 50% of people have less than optimal MTHFR genes.
Thus, if your MTHFR gene has a mutation and that mutation is now expressing itself, your labs can look like this: higher than optimal serum iron and % saturation, a low ferritin…. and a higher in the range TIBC.
The above description fits your results exactly.
In order to overcome an MTHFR problem you need to improve folate, not iron (at least not yet, and possibly not at all). But folate and B12 have a relationship, so it is important not to supplement folate if B12 is really low. Instead, B12 must be supplemented for a few days or a week and only then adding in a folate supplement.
There have been people who have had no luck in raising iron and/or ferritin until their B12 and folate have been improved.
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Please just leave it as I'm actually feeling very unwell at the moment and don't want to stay on the computer
Hope you feel better soon. Your post and replies will still be here when you are well enough to come back to the forum.
Thank you so much humanbean for all the info and my apologies for the late reply - I was obviously going down with a virus at the time of writing although hadn't realised it. I am very grateful for everything you have written and hopefully I will now have learnt a lot more about iron levels. I am glad that Beads put up a graph to show you how MMH are sending results because unfortunately I'm not computer savvy so I'm not sure how best to give you the other results that you suggested but I will try.
HB 137 g/L (126-270 normal)
B12 300 pmol/L Active (40-320 normal)
Folate 10.2 ug/L (5-25 normal) been taking methylfolate for 18 mths
Ferritin 208 ug/L (50-400 normal)
TSAT 47% (14-49% normal)
Vit D 102 nmol/L (Considered excess)
Hope this is of some use but don't worry too much if not - the main thing is I AM still alive although sadly not kicking. Thanks again!
Has your doctor looked at why your iron/ferritin levels needed supplementing? Most people in UK/US have levels that are fine.
I would be hesitant to supplement as you have unless it is really needed, there are consequences, like you will feed virus's! and what about your copper levels/ratio?
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