Anaemia results

[Ari3]

Hiya

I have decide for the first time test my full panel of iron . I have no clue what those results mean but could someone give me any insight or comment or shed the light if iam in good range or top of range of them ? I have done this through Monitor my Health and they haven’t provided ranges ( I have emailed them and complained about it ) so here are results :

HB 138g/L 

Ferritin 125ug/L

TSAT 44%

active b 12 97pmol/L

Folate >20.0 ug/L 

I really appriciate cause I don’t know what it means at all in thyroid patients do I need to increase or decrease anything here ?

Thank you so much for your input and again the laboratory didn’t provide ranges (I have requested them and complained )

[PurpleNails Administrator]

Found this on MMH web page

What are your reference ranges? Our anaemia tests do not have reference ranges. Instead, we have cut-off values below which a measure can be considered low. 

These cut-off values follow the recommendations of the British Society for Haematology. 

Haemoglobin:

below 120 g/L for females and below 130 g/L for males indicates anaemia 

Ferritin: below 15 ug/L suggests iron deficiency 

Transferrin Saturation: below 16% suggests iron deficiency 

Folate: 3 ug/L or below suggests folate deficiency 

Active vitamin B12: below 38 pmol/L suggests vitamin B12 deficiency 

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Ari13

I just want to point out that this is not an iron panel, it's an anaemia panel. Iron panel consists of

Serum iron

Saturation percentage

Total Iron Binding Capacity or Transferrin

Ferritin

Medichecks does an iron test that includes all the above plus CRP.

I have done this anaemia test with Monitor My Health and you have to look at the numbers on the left hand side of the coloured graphic, the green band is the normal range.

HB 138g/L range is approx 125-270

Your level is good, doesn't suggest anaemia.

Ferritin 125ug/L range appears to be approx 10-410

That is a very wide range, if you'd done a Medichecks test the range is 13-150 for females, male range goes higher, my surgery is 15-300 for everyone.

Ferritin is ideally tested alongside CRP. CRP is an inflammation marker. Ferritin rises with inflammation. As you only have a Ferritin result we don't know if you have any inflammation so we don't really know if this is a true level. If it is that's very good as some experts say the optimal level for thyroid function is 90-110ug/L.

TSAT 44% range appears to be approx 16-50%

Yours is towards the higher end which suggest that you do not need to supplement with iron.

active b 12 97pmol/L range appears to be approx 40-210

Their range is rather wide, Medichecks range is 37.5-188.

We always say here that 100 plus is good for Active B12, you are closer to that so it's a pretty good result.

Folate >20.0 ug/L range appears to be approx 4-25

It would appear that their equipment doesn't measure above 20 (my result was the same) so you don't know exactly what your level is but it's obviously high in range. Folate is recommended to be at least half way through range so high in range shouldn't be a problem. Do you supplement with B Complex or methylfolate/folic acid?

[Ari3 in reply to SeasideSusie]

thank u for your reply yes I do supplement with b complex (folate) not folic acid and methyl folate yes . Do I need to take it constantly or my body needs a break sometimes if supplements or as thyroid patients we need to use them constantly ?

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Ari3]

As your folate level is over 20 then maybe reduce the number of days you take your B Complex, say just take Monday to Friday and see what your level's like next time you test.

[Ari3 in reply to SeasideSusie]

how often do I need to test my vitamins and how many days before I test I need to stop them

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Ari3]

Generally we suggest testing vitamins once a year with Vit D twice a year (due to possible need for seasonal changes). However, if you have deficiencies/low levels and you are building them up then it's best to retest after 3 months to see how you're getting on and whether you need to change your dose.

As for testing, if you were taking iron tablets you would stop them for a few days before the test. B Complex or Biotin you'd stop for 3-7 days because Biotin causes false results with any blood test. If it's B Complex with a relatively small amount of biotin (eg 400mcg) then 3 days is enough, if it's a hair/nail supplement or stand alone biotin supplement with a high dose (eg 5mg or 10mg) then 7 days. Anything else you can continue up to and including the day before testing, just take after the test on the day.