Help with test results - haemochromatosis with iron deficiency?

[tnefeh]

I have normal TSH, low T4 and low T3 levels - I'm waiting to see an endocrinologist about this.

A few years ago I had blood tests which showed high iron levels so my doc suspected Haemochromatosis. I had the genetic testing which showed I had the gene mutation. I used to get blood drawn to treat it and bring down my iron levels.

However, recently I had blood tests which showed low ferritin levels of 9 and was diagnosed with iron deficiency. I've been taking ferrous sulphate for 6 weeks and had everything retested. I'm so confused with the results. Can anyone explain to me what this means? I've marked the abnormal or borderline results in bold.

Serum ferritin - 33 ng/mL - reference range 10 - 120 - prior to iron tablets level was 9

Serum transferrin - 2.13 g/L - reference range 2.50 - 3.80

Serum iron level - 27 umol/L - reference range 10 - 25

Transferrin saturation index - 48.7 % - not sure of reference range but marked abnormal

Neutrophil count - 1.90 10*9/L - reference range 2.0 - 7.5

Monocyte count - 0.20 10*9/L - reference range 0.20 - 0.80

Basophil count - 0.00 10*9/L - reference range 0.0 - 0.10

Haemoglobin estimation - 129 g/L - reference range 115 - 165

Total white cell count - 4.1 10*9/L - reference range 4.0 - 11.0

Platelet count - 247 10*9/L - reference range 150 - 450

Red blood cell (RBC) count - 4.19 10*12/L - reference range 3.80 - 5.50

Haematocrit - 0.388 - reference range 0.37 - 0.48

Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) - 92.7 fL - reference range 80 - 100

Mean corpusc. haemoglobin(MCH) - 30.8 pg - reference range 26.5 - 31.5 - this was previously always abnormally high and has lowered since taking the iron tablets

Lymphocyte count - 1.90 10*9/L - reference range 1.50 - 4.00

Eosinophil count - 0.10 10*9/L - reference range 0.04 - 0.40

Large unstained cells - 0.10 10*9/L - reference range 0.00 - 0.44

Any input, suggestions or advice would be appreciated! thank you!

[SlowDragon Administrator]

were you taking iron supplements when this test was done?

should stop iron supplements 5-7 days before

Test early morning and fasting. Only water to drink between waking and test

Low transferrin

healthmatters.io/understand...

Low neutrophil

Could be linked to low thyroid levels

whitelotusclinic.ca/lwhite-...

Previous post with thyroid and vitamin results

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

[tnefeh in reply to SlowDragon]

thank you!!! yes I was still taking the iron tablets when the test was done. I did it early morning and fasting. Do you think I should retest a week after finishing them?

I've also had more up to date thyroid results so the ones on my previous post aren't the current results

that's interesting about thyroid and low neutrophils, I've had low neutrophils in the past too. I also have Lyme disease which can affect your immune system and cause low neutrophils. I'm on antibiotics for lyme which can cause low neutrophils too.

thanks for your input!

[humanbean]

You might find this reply of interest despite its age :

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Do you have any recent results for vitamin B12 and folate?

[tnefeh in reply to humanbean]

thank you that's so helpful! I have MTHFR 677 heterozygous mutation

B12 - 570 - reference range 200 - 900

Vit D - 117.2 - reference range 50 - 150

Folate - 6.8 - reference range 3 - 12

Do you think it might be beneficial to supplement with folic acid and b12 to help with this iron issue? Or does it seem unlikely MTHFR could be causing the issue because B12 and folate levels are okay?

[humanbean in reply to tnefeh]

For optimal levels of B12 plus info on types of B12 supplements see this link :

perniciousanemia.org/b12/le...

perniciousanemia.org/b12/le...

perniciousanemia.org/b12/fo...

Personally, I aim to keep my Serum Vitamin B12 at about 1000 ng/L or over, and my Active B12 at about 100pmol/L or over. In order to maintain my levels I take methylcobalamin supplements (easily sourced on websites selling supplements) at a dose of 1000mcg. The number of days a week I take it varies depending on whether my level is (by my standards) low or high. Sometimes I only take it once a week, others I might take it four days a week.

.

For folate we usually suggest optimal is in the upper half of the reference range, but the range for your result is the lowest I've ever seen.

Personally I aim to keep mine at around 15 - 20 mcg/L. When I supplement folate I take methylfolate supplements at a dose of 1000mcg. I alter the number of days a week I take it according to my actual result.

.

Since I started using methylcobalamin and methylfolate to maintain my levels of B12 and folate my almost lifelong eczema has vanished, and the spots I developed as I approached puberty finally disappeared, nearly 50 years after they started.

Before I started taking methylcobalamin and methylfolate I had rarely taken any supplements at all other than, very occasionally, the cheapest multivitamins I could find, and they would definitely have contained cyanocobalamin and folic acid, which never did me any good at all.

Some links you might find helpful on folate vs. folic acid :

takecareof.com/articles/ben...

chriskresser.com/folate-vs-...