Description
Ferritin is a protein that contains iron and is the primary form of iron stored inside of cells. The amount of ferritin in the blood is a reflection of the total amount of iron stored in the body. This test measures the amount of ferritin in the blood. Transferrin is a protein that combines with ferritin to transport it to where new red blood cells are made.The Ferritin test measures the amount of iron stored by your body. This test can help diagnose excess iron levels as well as iron deficiency. Liver dysfunction and other factors can cause a reduction in the clearance of serum ferritin resulting in an increase in serum ferritin levels. Ferritin is an acute phase reactant that may be elevated in a wide-range of inflammatory conditions and infections. Ferritin test helps in the diagnosis of hypochromic, microcytic anemias.
Decreased in iron deficiency anemia and increased in iron overload. The majority of ferritin iron stores are found in the liver, spleen and bone marrow. Ferritin is an intracellular protein which plays a significant role in the adsorption, storage, and release of iron in the human body. Serum ferritin is the best single test for the diagnosis of iron deficiency. It is also used to support diagnosis and follow therapy of patients with hemochromatosis, and distinguish iron deficiency anemias from other types. Ferritin is present in small concentrations that correlate with total-body iron stores, making its measurement valuable for the assessment of disorders relating to iron metabolism.
Ferritin fluctuates with iron levels; when iron levels are low, so are ferritin levels, which can cause symptoms of weakness, fatigue and dizziness. When there is an abundance of iron, there is an increase in ferritin, which can cause swelling of the liver and liver damage, fatigue, weight loss, weakness and sometimes darkening of the skin. Low levels of Ferritin can be found when iron stores are exhausted, well before the serum iron level has become affected. In cases of anemia, low serum Ferritin is often a very specific indicator for iron-deficiency anemia. Other than a bone marrow examination, serum ferritin is the most reliable indicator of total body iron stores. When combined with serum iron and percent saturation of iron binding capacity/transferrin, it can usually differentiate the microcytic hypochromic anemias into Iron deficiency anemia, Anemia of chronic disease and Thalassemia
