Transferrin?

[LifeintheMed]

Hello!

I've been reading and learning so much here - so much knowledge and kindness...

I've just got some blood tests back after 1 month on Levo and my TSH is down, T4 up and cholesterol down - yay!

There are still some tests to come in, but I just noticed that my transferrin level is below range. Does anyone know if there's anything significant about this?

(I have low B12 and low vit D and am awaiting results for ceoliac and pernicious anaemia so I'm wondering if it could be related to absorption?)

Thanks

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Transferrin

You should also have had iron and ferritin levels tested?

labtestsonline.org.uk/tests...

how much levothyroxine have you started on

Bloods should be retested 8-12 weeks after each dose increase

You need TSH, Ft4 and Ft3

Always test early morning and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test,

Exactly what vitamin supplements are you taking

[LifeintheMed in reply to SlowDragon]

I'm not taking any supplements yet as I was waiting for this set of tests to come back - it was only last month that this all got picked up. Ferritin levels are well within range, so that's why I'm wondering if there's anything significant about the transferrin...

[Venicefan in reply to LifeintheMed]

What is your actual ferritin level? “In range” is not good enough. Lab ranges are calculated by the lab technicians and are arbitrary.

Ferritin needs to be over 100 to avoid symptoms, and a level lower than 30, according to NICE guidelines indicates absolute iron deficiency - quite alarming when the bottom of the lab range is often around 15…

[LifeintheMed in reply to Venicefan]

Ok, so iron is 131.84 (50.28 - 169.83), ferritin is 41.6 (10 - 291)...

[Venicefan in reply to LifeintheMed]

Your ferritin (iron stores) is very close to the bottom of the lab range. Considering that the top of the range is 291 your level is 11.2% through the lab range. I’d be concerned about that.

[LifeintheMed in reply to Venicefan]

Could you point me to more info around the 100 figure please? By that measure I guess I'm pretty low...

[Venicefan in reply to LifeintheMed]

I’ve tried to share information with you from The Iron Protocol website but it doesn’t seem to have been posted.

If you look them up there’s a lot of valuable information about ferritin levels and how to raise them.

[LifeintheMed in reply to Venicefan]

Thanks!

[LifeintheMed in reply to Venicefan]

Thanks, I've looked but can't find much info on there?

[Venicefan in reply to LifeintheMed]

Just trying a private message but it won’t send it. Have a look on their Facebook Page. I tried to send you a copy of their symptom table but it won’t let me.

[LifeintheMed in reply to Venicefan]

Thank you for trying!

[LifeintheMed]

Hmm, also just noticed my blood urea is a little below range and mean corpuscular is above...thinking the mean corpuscular has something to do with the B12 but could the urea level be linked?

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to LifeintheMed]

Poor kidney function is (reversibly) reduced when hypothyroid

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

[FallingInReverse]

To evaluate the transferrin, can you share the full iron panel results. Iron, ferritin, TIBC, UIBC, transferrin saturation perception, CRP-hs… any and all of those that you do have.

[LifeintheMed in reply to FallingInReverse]

Oh I just did iron and ferritin above...Transferrin saturation is 42.81 (15-50). Others you mention not done but I l have a load of other test results. I've noted i'm out of range in transferrin, urea (below range), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (above range), protein (below range).

Any light shed would be great!

[FallingInReverse in reply to LifeintheMed]

Transferrin saturation needs to be a minimum of 30% and optimally 35-45%. So yours is where you want it and no higher.

Iron the same - optimal is 55-70% through range and you are about 68%.

It is common to have those levels good with ferritin on the low side.

Have you been supplementing iron? If so, how much. If not, do not start and keep what you’re doing and monitor.

[LifeintheMed in reply to FallingInReverse]

No, I'm not supplementing with anything

[FallingInReverse in reply to LifeintheMed]

How’s your diet? Eating a lot of iron rich foods?

[LifeintheMed in reply to FallingInReverse]

Yep yep. Not tons of red meat but at least once a week, also leafy greens, beans, etc

[FallingInReverse in reply to LifeintheMed]

Cool. Keep it up, and eat as much as you can. Eat vitamin C with non-animal sources and test again in a few months. You want to maintain that excellent iron profile - which is the way to slowly slowly improve your ferritin.