Please help with blood results for iron status

[sasha_nico]

Hi everyone, I hope someone can tell me what's going on with my iron status and whether I need iron supplements ( hair loss, fatigue).My GP isn't that attentive and I was told all was OK with now explaining about markers.

Serum Tibc 45 umol/l (range 53-85)

Serum iron level 27 unol/l ( range 12-36)

Serum ferritin 110 ug/l (range 14 - 148)

Transferrin saturation 59.6% (range 20-40)

1st and last highlighted in red.

Full blood count was normal.

I am both on HRT for POI and levothyroxine/T3 combo under private care and all is good/optimal in those regards.

I have read online that high ferritin can be a marker of inflammation....and low TIBC mean anemia.

I don't want to pay for another private consultation and I don't think I can take it any further with my GP.

I would hugely appreciate a feedback from people who are familiar with interpretation of iron status.

Thank you!

Sasha

[radd]

sasha_nico

Sorry you haven’t received a timely response but my answering will move your post back onto the 'daily feed' for members to re-view.

Alternatively you are welcome to repost your question 😊.

[sasha_nico in reply to radd]

Thank you, Radd 😀 🤞

[radd in reply to sasha_nico]

sacha_nico,

Serum Tibc 45 umol/l (range 53-85) is a measurement of the transferrin proteins available for binding of free iron. Yours are below range indicating iron overload (not anaemia) as it indicates there are too few proteins available for iron to bind to. However, iron is tricky to decipher sometimes and it could be you have the right amount of iron but are unable to make enough transferrin to bind it.

Serum iron level 27 unol/l ( range 12-36) - 62% through range but serum iron fluctuates hugely depending upon what you eat so isn't considered a reliable marker .

Serum ferritin 110 ug/l (range 14 - 148) - ferritin is good level and yes, well known as an acute inflammatory marker whilst lesser known transferrin is an anti inflammatory marker.

Transferrin saturation 59.6% (range 20-40) - Is high because is skewed by low transferrin results.

We need adequate iron to allow our thyroid meds to work effectively. Both hairloss and fatigue can be hypo symptoms too, equally fatigue can be from low Vit B12/folate. What I’m saying is don’t isolate symptoms to one area but look at the whole picture holistically. Having good levels of thyroid hormone isn't a guarantee of cellular function as we need good levels of everything for that.

Are you getting enough protein in your diet as this helps form the protein carriers such as transferrin that bind and transport hormones (and other) around the body. Getting thyroid hormones working well and ensuring enough folate and VitB12 will help iron mechanisms work better.

I wouldn't recommend supplementing iron on these results as deficiency isn't obvious but I would ask your GP to retest in a few months to see if any changes are happening.

[sasha_nico in reply to radd]

Hi Radd, thank you for your reply! 😀 this does make sense and I will stop my iron supplementation and re-test in 2 months. Thank you! 😊