Hello,
Does anyone use an Iron Panel test which they can recommend? We have used Medichecks but got in such a pickle with the ferritin ranges/versus NHS ferritin range and results that I am looking for another company. Or to be honest it may have just been me who couldn't work it out.
Just looking for recommendations future use.
Thanks.
Sneedle
I know you have seen/responded to posts about the disparity with ferritin results with NHS v other labs. I think you will find this with whichever lab you use, just don't compare them because it never works, stick to one lab. If you use Medichecks ask them to use your preferred lab and to confirm that they will. I've had all my iron panel tests done with County Pathology and if I do another one I will make sure that they confirm they will send it to them rather than use their "new" lab Inuvi which has the rather strange ferritin ranges which muddies the water even more.
I've probably put the different ferritin results of tests done close together in other posts I've responded to which you've seen, I've just found these which are a few days apart but ferritin is unlikely to change that quickly so it illustrates the point well:
31/10/17 - Medichecks County Pathology - 119 (13-150) - An unheard of excellent result for me but I suspect there may have been some inflammation at the time but unfortunately CRP wasn't tested.
8/11/17 - GP surgery - 39 (15-300)
To show that my GP surgery always has similar results I've had these in the past:
27/9/18 - GP surgery - 47 (15-300)
5/7/19 - GP surgery - 40 (15-300)
8/4/22 - GP surgery - 49 (15-300)
I've never had CRP done with ferritin at the GP surgery but you can see that they're fairly consistent so no big differences between the GP results.
To illustrate how Medichecks County Pathology iron panel results for ferritin are fairly consistent I have these results, CRP was included, my CRP is never really low due to my lung disease and you can see that as CRP rises so does ferritin:
10/1/22 - CRP: 1.78 - Ferritin: 62.6 (13-150)
10/4/22 - CRP: 2.4 - Ferritin: 73.8 (13-150)
30/6/22 - CRP: 2.93 - Ferritin: 88.3 (13-150)
28/9/22 -CRP: 5.32 - Ferritin: 97.8 (13-150)
So looking at those, if CRP was stable then the Ferritin levels would probably be as well.
What I glean from these two sets of results is that each lab is giving very different results for Ferritin but the levels are fairly consistent for each lab (allowing for the difference the inflammation confirmed by the CRP level makes).
So for me it makes sense to stick to the same lab and don't try and compare with results for another lab.
HealthStarDust You might be interested too 
I accidentally deleted original my post! But, thank you so much for this detailed explanation.
It seems it is an additional fuss to use medichecks and ensure preferred lab that I just don’t have the strength for right now. But, something to keep in mind.
Makes my mind boggle all this!
I was just try to find your post!😅Here is my reply to you
Hi there,
I think I saw your post!
The gp's test was 29 on range 30-150 and my daughter asked about what to do, and was told to take iron every other day.
No gp explanation of her medichecks test high transferrin saturation or below range tibc/uibc (which I've asked about here and been told means that she doesn't need to supplement iron).
A slightly different issue to yours, but no less confusing 🤔
I'm not sure either what to trust, hence hoping for another iron panel recommendation. But medichecks is such a good price...😬
Oh well ploughing on. Are you going with the gp test?
I’m sorry about the delete. Can I blame the thyroid? I’m shattered! 😩
Will DM as don’t want to clutter your post too much since I hope to report all my results soon too and don’t want to muddy the waters even more for myself.
👍👍😊
SeasideSusie
May I just ask then when we see “Ferritin over 70 minimum, ideally over 100 with any chronic disease” often on the forum, how do we interpret that with the different tests? In one test 70-100 looks pretty good, and in others not so much when you try and calculate where the ferritin is in the range.
Sorry to hijack Sneedle as I appear to have jumped the gun a little bit since I hope to post all my results soon, but I have assumed this may be of interest to you too.
No worries this is helpful to me too👍😃
HealthStarDust
Yes, this is a problem. We really don't know do we. If I take my GP tests I'll never achieve 70 let alone 100. With Medichecks my level looks better but the only time it gets "reasonable" is when CRP is elevated more than usual so it's a false result anyway!
What I have done is look at the full iron panel, in particular the serum iron and saturation percentage. If these go lower than the optimal levels suggested by rT3 adrenals then I take some gentle iron (I actually have some Three Arrows at the moment, waiting to see what that does but I'm fairly inconsistent with taking it, I'm good with other supplements but don't seem to manage it with iron!)
rT3 adrenals suggest the following
rt3-adrenals.org/Iron_test_...
Serum iron
• 55 to 70% of the range
• higher end for men
TIBC (total iron binding capacity) or Transferrin
• Low in range indicates lack of capacity for additional iron
• High in range indicates body's need for supplemental iron
Saturation
• optimal is 35 to 45%
• higher end for men
Thank you! Saving this post before I forget and take time to digest this all (if I can). Thanks for bringing this up Sneedle
Thanks SeasideSusie that's very good explanation and a sound plan.
I guess my only difficulty is knowing which to trust, as gp (from whom we don't have any other iron-related results) says take iron, and medichecks implies don't take it.
Both are first tests for my daughter so no comparison yet.
The reason for doing an iron panel was at suggestion of TUK admins to make sure she doesn't take unnecessary iron.
But with these results I don't feel sure either way!
Maybe I should just get her try through diet but that will be tricky. Or a short few weeks on a low dose iron EOD, then retest in September?
Asking medichecks to use ... Inuvi or County?!
Have a look at my reply to HealthStarDust. What I've decided to do is stick with Medichecks iron panel (and I will request County Pathology if I do another one) and take more notice of serum iron and saturation percentage. My ferritin is pretty unreliable anyway due to my CRP never being particularly low, my lung disease and now another chronic illness means that it's bound to show a falsely elevated ferritin level.
I find the difference between NHS labs and others far to different to be useful. It's hard to know which is correct. But I am suspicious of the NHS ones regarding the iron.
Medichecks recently, my ferritin was good and iron on the floor. CRP raised around just over 3.
NHS few months later, iron pushing almost over range and ferritin dire. CRP fine.
Blue Horizon in years past, ferritin dire, iron low.
NHS years ago iron low.
I am inclined to disagree with the recent NHS results. I posted about it a couple weeks ago as I didn't know which tests to go with, but upon thinking it over, I can't see how the NHS result can be correct. Years of very heavy periods and historically low iron levels don't add up to suddenly fantastic levels without consistent supplementation. I notice it's only in the last four years or so I have been receiving great iron results through NHS tests . Before then I was constantly prescribed fumarate iron (which I could never tolerate or take for more than a week or so) and whilst the NHS says my levels are great, the private ones are unified in saying my iron levels are poor, which reflects my experience.
I think in future I'll stick with BH (although I've no clue what lab they use). Perhaps try them?
I'd like to know how the NHS ranges are compiled though.
Yes quite, I'd like to know what on earth any of them think they're doing with their ranges! NHS, private, the lot of them!
I mentioned below to SeasideSusie that BH do use County for all their iron and ferritin, so that's a good place to go I think for consistency.
I don't know if it's at all relevant to you but I came across the idea somewhere that menopause can cause an increase in iron as you're no longer menstruating. I haven't supplemented iron at all or changed diet and Medichecks test indicates my ferritin has shot up this year and low TIBC/UIBC means I have no room for supplementing - which is fine, as long as the ferritin doesn't keep rising!
I'm just asking BH which labs they use. Will repot back! Says County on my Advanced Thyroid test
OK, being pedantic here! BH don't do an Advanced Thyroid Test, that's Medichecks, BH do Thyroid Premium Gold which is the equivalent of Medichecks Advanced Thyroid Test (but maybe you didn't mean BH did the Advanced Thyroid Test, if so ignore me 😊)
I've checked all my BH test results (I do an annual Premium Gold with them, used to be called Thyroid Plus 11 I think) and they don't seem to put the lab on the results page but I tend to make a note of who is named on the return envelope. All mine have been processed by County Pathology except one in 2018 which was processed by The Doctor's Laboratory. I've been doing that test annually since 2016.
Yes I noticed my lack of pedantry (and applaud yours!) on the way to pressing Post and decided to leave it in because I was tired.😀 I did mean Thyroid Premium Gold!
BH have just confirmed that all their ferritin and iron home tests go to County.
So at least if I decide to dump Medichecks in future if they can't guarantee County, I know I can get County ranges consistently from BH. Phew.
Good to know that they just use CP for iron tests, will keep that in mind 👍
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