Serum Ferritin Test
Serum Ferritin
- This test is meant to measure the level of ferritin in the blood. Ferritin is a protein inside the cells which stores iron.
- No special preparation is required.
- This test would provide one value for Serum Ferritin in the blood.
What is Serum Ferritin Blood Test ?
Serum Ferritin is a blood test used to measure the level of the protein Ferritin in the blood. Ferritin is a protein which is used to store iron. Lower the level of ferritin, lower would be the level of iron in the body indicating anemia. Iron is used to make red blood cells which in turn make hemoglobin. Hemoglobin carries oxygen from the lungs to the cells of the body. Low levels of ferritin would result in less oxygen supply resulting in symptoms like fatigue, headache, weakness, dizziness etc.
Reported Parameters
Serum Ferritin Level is measured in nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml)
All The Questions that you might have
- Why is Serum Ferritin Test Done ?
- How to interpret the test results ?
- What are the causes for low ferritin levels ?
- What are the causes of high ferritin levels ?
- How to increase Serum Ferritin Levels through food ?
This test is done if Hemoglobin is found to be low in the Complete Blood Count (CBC) test. Serum Iron Study is also done if the patient is complaining of fatigue, weakness, dizziness, muscle weakness etc. Such a condition is called anemia in which the body has less than the normal range of Serum Iron.
Serum Ferritin Test is also done if your doctor suspects higher levels of ferritin. Higher levels of ferritin is found in the following conditions :
- Hemochromatosis
- Porphyria — A group of disorders caused by an enzyme deficiency that affects your nervous system and skin
- Rheumatoid arthritis or another chronic inflammatory disorder
- Liver disease
- Hyperthyroidism
- Leukemia
- Hodgkin’s lymphoma
- Multiple blood transfusions
- Alcohol abuse
- Taking too many iron supplements
Your Serum Ferritin Test report will give one value for the level of ferritin in your blood. This is measured in nanogram per milliliter of blood. The normal range would be as follows :
- 20 to 500 nanograms per milliliter in men
- 20 to 200 nanograms per milliliter in women
A lower-than-normal ferritin level can indicate that you have an iron deficiency, which can happen when you don’t consume enough iron in your daily diet. Another condition that affects iron levels is anemia, which is when you don’t have enough red blood cells for iron to attach to.
Additional conditions include:
- excessive menstrual bleeding
- stomach conditions that affect intestinal absorption
- internal bleeding
A person with anemia will have low blood iron levels and low ferritin levels. However, a person with a chronic disease may have low blood iron levels, but normal or high ferritin levels.
Ferritin levels that are too high can indicate certain conditions such as :
- Hemochromatosis
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Hyperthyroidism
- Diabetes
- Obesity
- Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
- Frequent blood transfusions
- Hepatitis
- Alcoholism
Some of the foods which are rich in iron are :
- Green Leafy vegetables – spinach, coriander, silver beet, mint etc
- Animal Liver
- Red Meats
- Beans
- Molassas
- Grains
